Improving The Reporting Of Observational Studies In Veterinary Research: Turkish Adaptation Of Strobe-Vet Criteria

Abstract

This study, the Turkish version of the STROBE-VET was made to strengthen the reporting of observational studies in the veterinary field
and making the usage of the STROBE-VET better understood by the researchers. Firstly, STROBE-VET expression translated into Turkish
by 4 authors (TB, FG, ÖK, MAT) each from the other and afterwards four translated versions have been combined with consensus by expert
translator. The final version of criteria was translated into English by another expert translator using reverse translation method and found to be
quiet similar between translated of Turkish control list and the original control list. Secondly, in order to assess the Turkish control list whether
it is understood correctly by the researchers, 20 studies in the field of veterinary sciences have been evaluated by two veterinarians (DÖ and
MBC). The correspondence between the responses of the researchers was examined using Cohen's Kappa statistic ( ) and the percentage of
compliance between researchers for each criterion. In addition, it was assessed using the Bland-Altman Method and the Intraclass Correlation
Coefficient (ICC) using the total number of reported criteria. According to results, criteria has a great variation in the frequency of reporting
in the studies. The Turkish version of STROBE-VET will be a guide for the referees and editors of journals as well as researchers studying in
the field of veterinary science.