Microbiology Investigation Criteria for Reporting Objectively (MICRO): a framework for the reporting and interpretation of clinical microbiology data

Table 2 A summary of the MICRO framework development steps (derived from [17])

Step	Detail
Initial steps	Identify the need for a guideline
Initial steps	Review the literature • Identify previous relevant guidance • Seek relevant evidence on the quality of reporting in published research articles • Identify key information related to the potential sources of bias in such studies
Pre-meeting activities	Identify participants
	Conduct informal exercise to identify key issues
	Generate a list of items for consideration at the face-to-face meeting
	Plan meeting, including preparation and of dissemination of pre-meeting materials
Face-to-face consensus meeting	Present and discuss results of pre-meeting activities
Face-to-face consensus meeting	Discuss the rationale for including items in the checklist
Post-meeting activities	Finalise the guidance statement
Post-meeting activities	Prepare manuscript for publication

ISSN: 1741-7015