Getting your publication right – Part 2 – Structuring a research manuscript: A guide to writing a case report
Aditya Mitra, R. S. Mohan Kumar, Shishir Singh, Velmurugan Natanasabapathy, Col. Sonali Sharma, Geeta Asthana, Sonali Taneja, Suparna Ganguly SahaAbstract
Background:
Case reports serve as a crucial medium for documenting rare presentations, novel diagnostic approaches, innovative treatment protocols, and unexpected outcomes encountered in routine practice. Due to a lack of structure and guidelines, published case reports suffered from variability and reliability. With the evolution of CARE (CAse REport) guidelines, medical reporting became more structured.
Objective:
This paper aims to present a systematic and well-defined roadmap to facilitate the preparation of clinical dental case reports, structured on the framework of the CARE guidelines.
Methods:
A comprehensive literature review of case report methodology, the evolution of clinical documentation, and the CARE reporting guidelines was conducted in peer-reviewed sources and reporting guideline repositories. The information was then presented in a narrative form to provide the reader with information on how reporting guidance can be utilized.
Results:
The CARE checklist is a simple framework with reporting features that, in addition to being straightforward, enhance transparency, clinical interpretability, and relevance. This writing approach chronologically chronicles from the title, abstract, to patient perspective and consent, allows the authors to present diagnostic reasoning, interventions, and outcomes in an ethical, educational manner that reviewers can appraise.
Conclusion:
When systematically constructed while adhering to ethical standards, dental case reports can be a valuable form of clinical evidence. Case reports can rationalize need-based and individual case-specific decision-making, when evidence is limited and can draw attention to observations that merit scope for future research. The guidelines outlined here are aimed at assisting authors to prepare comprehensive and publication-ready dental case reports in accordance with the CARE guidelines.