Developing a Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses

Investigating causal mechanisms using mediation analysis is becoming increasingly common in psychology, public health, and social science. Despite increasing popularity, the accuracy and completeness when reporting mediation analyses are inconsistent. Up to now, there have been no registered initiatives on the “Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency of health Research” (EQUATOR) network that guide the reporting of mediation analyses.
Hopin Lee, James McAuley, Rob Herbert, Steven Kamper, Nicholas Henschke, and Christopher Williams use systematic reviews, Delphi surveys, consensus meetings, and dissemination to develop new reporting guidelines for mediation analyses to improve their accuracy, facilitate replication and meta-analysis, and limit bias. These guidelines can be used to address inconsistent and inaccurate reporting in favor of improved transparency of research findings across multiple disciplines. Results forthcoming.