Appendix P — Intervention Components Table

In chapter 9 I described how I combined the outputs of previous chapters to create the intervention components listed below.

Table P.1: Intervention Components Table. Intervention components labelled with the behaviour change techniques and intervention functions they employ, and grouped according to the key behaviours, barriers, and behavioural drivers that they aim to target. Where possible, examples demonstrate how components were (or were not) used originally (Before) and, how they are included within the redesigned intervention (Now).

INTERVENTION INGREDIENT	BCT	INTERVENTION FUNCTION	BEFORE	NOW
Key Behaviour: Engage with (read) appropriate reporting guidance as early as possible
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know what reporting guidelines are Behavioural driver: Capability
Describe what reporting guidelines are where they are first encountered	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	No prominent description of what reporting guidelines are on EQUATOR home page or in reporting guidelines resources. Example: See Figure 9.3, Figure 9.6	Prominent definition on home page and guideline page. Example: See Figure 9.4, Figure 9.7
Clarify what tasks (e.g., writing, designing, or appraising research) guidelines and resources are designed for	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	No clear instruction on what tasks reporting guidelines or their resources can and cannot be used for. Example: See Figure 9.3, Figure 9.5, Figure 9.6	Clear instruction and differentiation of resources Example: See Figure 9.4, Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know what reporting guidelines exist Behavioural driver: Capability
Instruct authors to cite reporting guidelines so readers may learn about them	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	No consistent instruction to cite reporting guidelines	Consistent instruction to cite reporting guidelines
Decision tools for discovering appropriate resources*	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Enablement	We previously made a “reporting guideline wizard” but it was difficult to find. Example: see Figure 9.3	Not included yet
Collections of related reporting guidelines*	Adding objects to the environment	Environmental Restructuring	Collections exist on EQUATOR site but are difficult to find.	Not included yet
Links between related guidelines	Restructuring the physical environment	Environmental Restructuring	Guideline publications may cite guidelines published previously, but these can be buried in text and are not updated. EQUATOR website guideline pages feature links to extensions, but these may be hard to find. Checklists do not link to related resources. Example: See Figure 9.5, Figure 9.6	Guidelines prominently link to other relevant guidelines and explain when they should be used. Example: See Figure 9.7
Embed reporting guidelines that “fit together”*	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Enablement	Checklists and their extensions are published separately. The best example of modular guidance is perhaps the JARS guidelines, but even these are published as separate documents.	No change
Targeted barrier: Guidance may be difficult to find Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Centralised hosting	Restructuring the physical environment	Enablement	EQUATOR maintains a database of reporting guideline meta-data, but the guidance and checklists were published and hosted in different locations and in different ways.	A core set of frequently accessed guidelines are now presented on a single website.
Search function on website	Restructuring the physical environment	Enablement	EQUATOR’s search function was difficult to find. Example: See Figure 9.3	Search function is easier to find as a recognizable icon in the navigation bar of every page. The home page includes additional ways to access search functionality. Example: See Figure 9.4
Search Engine Optimization	Restructuring the physical environment	Enablement	EQUATOR’s website did not make use of some commonly used search optimization heuristics. It ranked well for guideline acronyms (like STROBE) but not for general terms that naive authors may use, like “observational epidemiology” or “how to write-up research”. The site wasn’t optimized for viewing on mobile devices, which will also harm google search rankings. Example: (Not visible)	The site has additional meta-data. Each reporting guideline page has its own meta-data. The site is optimized for mobiles. Example: (Not visible)
Permanent document object identifiers (DOIs)*	Restructuring the physical environment	Enablement	Although guideline publications have DOIs, tools (commonly hosted on guideline developer’s websites) do not. EQUATOR’s website does not use document object identifiers. If resources move (e.g., a website is reorganised or depreciated) then links can “die”.	No change
Targeted barrier: Reporting guidelines may be difficult to access Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Ensure guidelines and tools are open access*	Restructuring the physical environment	Enablement	Some guidelines are published behind paywalls	No change
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know whether a reporting guideline applies to them Behavioural driver: Capability
Describe the scope of a reporting guideline at the top of every resource	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Some reporting guidelines may describe their scope within a publication. Others might not, or may only describe their scope broadly without fully explaining the design assumptions within the guidance. Guideline publications rarely explain circumstances where the guidance should not be used. Checklists rarely define intended scope beyond the title of the guideline.	The intended scope of a guideline is clearly & prominently described. This definition includes contexts in which the guidance should not be used. Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know what reporting guideline is their best fit Behavioural driver: Capability
Use if-then rules to direct authors to more appropriate and up-to-date guidance when available	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Reporting guidelines do not consistently point authors towards related resources that might be better fits. Guidelines are not updated as-and-when other guidelines become available.	Reporting guidelines clearly and consistently point authors to more appropriate guidance when appropriate, using if-then rules. These links can be updated any time. Example: See Figure 9.7
Explicitly state when no better guidance exists for a use case	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Reporting guidelines rarely explain what to do when no better guidance exists for a use case.	Reporting guidelines warn authors when no better guidance exists for a use case, and how the current guidance can be adapted instead Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not understand the language Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Provide translations	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Enablement	Some guidelines have been translated, but many haven’t. Links to translations are present on reporting guideline database pages but these links may not be easy to find. The EQUATOR website has an automatic translation tool which will translate content on web pages, but this doesn’t cover the guidance itself. Example: SRQR was available in French but the translation wasn’t advertised on the main guidance or database page. See Figure 9.6 and Figure 9.5	Translations are prominently listed above the guidance Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may expect the costs to outweigh benefits Behavioural driver: Motivation
Make guidance appear shorter by removing superfluous information, hiding optional content, splitting long guidelines, using concise language, and separating design advice	Restructuring the physical environment	Environmental restructuring	reporting guideline publications may include lengthy explanation of development, verbose language, and can be bloated by design advice Example: See Figure 9.8	SRQR has been edited. The only text presented immediately is instruction on what the author needs to describe. Additional information is hidden at first and can be expanded. Text is shortened through editing and by using active voice. In the case of SRQR, this reduced the text length by 60%. Example: See Figure 9.9
Cater to different kinds of user (readers vs dippers) by structuring guidance with headings, itemisation, hyperlinking to particular sections, and with optional content	Restructuring the physical environment	Environmental restructuring	Besides being split into items, reporting guidance is largely unstructured and different items can be organised in different ways. Checklist items do not link to items within an elaboration document. Example: See Figure 9.8	SRQR items are structured consistently, making information easier to find. Itemisation is used consistently, content is hyperlinked when useful. Example: See Figure 9.9
Include testimonials from researchers who were nervous about being punished for reporting transparently	Demonstration of the behaviour	Persuasion	No such testimonials exist	Quotes included alongside guideline Example: see Figure 9.9
Decrease fear of judgement by making reporting guidelines design agnostic	Remove aversive stimulus	Coercion (Removal of)	Reporting guidelines may conflate reporting advice with design advice or design assumptions. The justification for why an item is important to describe is frequently presented in terms of good and bad design.	SRQR explicitly states that it makes no assumptions about design. Inadvertent design assumptions were edited.
Remove branding and messaging that may invoke feelings of judgement, complexity, or administrative red-tape	Remove aversive stimulus	Coercion (Removal of)	EQUATOR’s website looked cluttered and visually unappealing. Guidance published in articles can look unappealing and dense. When justifying why authors should use reporting guidelines, guideline developers frequently referenced research waste, (lack of) transparency, bias, and poor design. Example: See Figure 9.3	A clean, simple interface for the home page and guidance pages. Text makes less use of judgemental phrases and fewer references to the negative consequences of poor reporting. Example: See Figure 9.4
Reassure that all research has limitations to encourage explanation over perfect design	Social support (unspecified)	Persuasion	Few guidelines would include this kind of reassurance Example: See Figure 9.6	This reassurance appears on the home page and all guidance pages Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may feel that checking reporting is someone else’s job. Behavioural driver: Motivation
Address communications to authors	Instruction on how to perform a behaviour	Persuasion	It wasn’t always clear whether reporting guidelines and the EQUATOR Network website were aimed at authors, editors, reviewers, or all.	All resources and website copy are directed predominantly at authors.
Communicate why reporting is primarily the responsibility of the author*	Instruction on how to perform a behaviour	Education	Because it wasn’t clear how reporting guidelines and checklists should be used, they (especially checklists) could appear as administrative tasks that should be the responsibility of the editor or reviewer.	Clear explanation of why guidelines and tools should be used by authors primarily, although can also be used by others.
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not consider writing as reporting Behavioural driver: Motivation
Educate authors about writing as a process	Instruction on how to perform a behaviour	Education	Many researchers don’t get trained on writing as a process, they just do it. EQUATOR provided education about how to write but this wasn’t advertised on guidelines.	Some SRQR items now link to relevant EQUATOR materials and courses. Example: See Figure 9.9
Key Behaviour: Apply reporting guidance to writing
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know what resources exist for a reporting guideline Behavioural driver: Capability
Link all resources to each other	Restructuring the physical environment	Environmental restructuring	Reporting guideline development articles, explanation and elaboration articles, and checklist files may not link to each other.	Guidance links to all tools and development article Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know what benefits to expect Behavioural driver: Capability
Describe personal benefits and benefits to others where reporting guidelines are introduced (home page, on resources, in communications)	Information about emotional consequences, Information about others’ approval, Information about social and environmental consequences	Education	Benefits are not prominently described on EQUATOR’s home page, nor within the guideline publications. Benefits that are described may by hard to find, and often focus on hypothetical benefits to the research community, but not personal benefits to the author. Example: See Figure 9.3	Benefits are prominently and consistently displayed across the home page and guidance pages. Descriptions prioritize personal benefits to the authors above hypothetical benefits to others. Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not believe stated benefits Behavioural driver: Motivation
Gather and communicate evidence for benefits	Information about emotional consequences, Information about others’ approval, Information about social and environmental consequences	Persuasion	Benefits often presented without evidence (if at all)	Dummy quotes provides evidence for experienced benefits. Example: See Figure 9.9
Include design, features, and language to foster trust	Credible source, Social comparison	Persuasion	Website design looked amateur. Citation metrics are available for guideline publications, but are not displayed on the EQUATOR website or within the guidance publications or checklists themselves. Guidelines were often preceeded by lengthy explanations of development. Example: See Figure 9.6	Professional design. EQUATOR’s Logo remains prominent. Citation metrics are presented at the top the reporting guidance. Information about who developed the guidelines, how they developed it, and why the guidance is credible is still provided, and easily findable from the top of the guidance. Example: See Figure 9.7
Create spaces for authors to discuss reporting guidelines with others	Social comparison, Credible source, Adding objects to the environment	Persuasion	There were no official on- or offline spaces for authors to discuss guidelines.	Each reporting item has its own discussion board. Example: See Figure 9.10
Use tone of voice and design to communicate personal benefits; confidence and simplicity	Framing/reframing	Persuasion	Guidance text made little use of a reassuring tone or words. The EQUATOR website and guideline articles looked dense and complex. Example: See Figure 9.3 and Figure 9.6	A clean, simple interface for the home page and guidance pages. Text uses phrases like “confidence”, “quick”, “maximum impact”. Example: See Figure 9.4 and Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not care about the benefits of using a reporting guideline Behavioural driver: Motivation
Include testimonials from research users who benefit from complete reporting	Salience of consequence	Persuasion	Testimonials not included in reporting guidelines.	SRQR includes dummy testimonials and quotes from research users Example: See Figure 9.9
Targeted barrier: Researchers may misunderstand Behavioural driver: Capability
Use plain language	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Enablement	Although developers aspire to write clearly, authors may misinterpret guidance or fail to understand it completely.	SRQR is edited to use plainer language.
Define key terms	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Few guidelines came with a glossary. Some key terms may be defined within the guideline text. Including definitions this way makes them hard to find and elongates the guidance.	SRQR now has a glossary, and text is marked-up with definitions that appear upon click. Example: See Figure 9.9
Use consistent terms	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Enablement	Guidelines may use different terms to refer to the same thing (or the converse - use the same term to refer to different things). A single guideline may do this too, as can websites.	The website uses terms consistently
Provide translations		None	See above
Create spaces for authors to discuss reporting guidelines with others (see above)		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know why items are important Behavioural driver: Capability
For each item, explain why the information is important and to whom (not just what constitutes “good” design)	Information about social and environmental consequences	Education	Sometimes there was no explanation as to why an item should be reported. Other times the justification would be about why a particular design choice was important. Example: See Figure 9.8	Information added when necessary Example: See Figure 9.9
Explain importance of complete reporting to the scientific community	Information about social and environmental consequences	Education	EQUATOR and most reporting guidelines do this already	Continue to do this
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know how to do an item Behavioural driver: Capability
Provide links to other resources that explain how an item can be done	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Some reporting guideline publications (or elaboration articles) include instruction in text but many don’t. SRQR did not.	Links included when relevant. Example: See Figure 9.9
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know how to report an item in practice Behavioural driver: Capability
For each item, provide clear instruction of what needs to be described	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Writing instructions are often mixed in with other explanation and context. Example: See Figure 9.8	Writing instruction occurs first for each item. Example: See Figure 9.9
For each item, provide examples of reporting in different contexts	Demonstration of the behaviour	Modelling	Not all reporting guidelines provide examples. Examples may not cover different contexts. Example: See Figure 9.8	SRQR already had some examples. No more examples added Example: See Figure 9.9
Create spaces for authors to discuss reporting guidelines with others (see above)		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know what to write when they cannot report an item Behavioural driver: Capability
Provide clear instruction of what needs to be described when an item was not done, could not be done, or does not apply	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Rarely instructed Example: See Figure 9.8	Instructed where relevant Example: See Figure 9.9
Provide examples of reporting “imperfect” items*	Demonstration of the behaviour	Modelling	Examples not provided	No changes made
Targeted barrier: Researchers have limited time Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Ensure all resources and tools (e.g., checklists and templates) are in ready-to-use formats*	Adding objects to the environment	Enablement	Some checklists not in immediately usable formats e.g., PDFs	No changes made
Structure guideline items to make them quicker to digest	Restructuring the physical environment	Enablement	E&E documents not structured below the item level Example: See Figure 9.8	Items have consistent structure and use bullet points consistently Example: See Figure 9.9
Tell authors how long the guidance will take to read	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Estimated reading time not given	Estimated reading time given Example: See Figure 9.7
Tell authors how long guidance will take to apply*	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	No advice given	No changes made Example: No changes made
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not know when reporting guidelines should be used Behavioural driver: Capability
Tell authors when to use reporting guidelines, or that reporting guidelines are best used as early as possible	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Rarely stated prominently	Stated prominently Example: See Figure 9.7
Clarify what tasks (e.g., writing, designing, or appraising research) guidelines and resources are designed for (see above)		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not encounter reporting guidelines early enough to act on them Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Optimize websites for search terms aimed at early use like “how to write”, or “funding application”. (See Search Engine Optimization above)		None
Create prompts / communication campaigns to target authors early in their research*	Prompts/cues	Enablement	EQUATOR had no way to do this	No changes made
Create tools to be used for early writing tasks*	Adding objects to the environment	Enablement	Most reporting guidelines come with a checklist but none come with a template, or tools/guidance specific to protocols or funding applications.	No changes made
Targeted barrier: Researchers may struggle to keep writing concise Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Provide instruction as to how and where information can be reported without breaching word count limits or making articles bloated.	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Few reporting guidelines include this information	Added instruction at top of reporting guideline and in some items where most useful Example: See Figure 9.7
Provide examples of concise reporting*	Demonstration of the behaviour	Modelling	No examples specifically to display concise reporting	No changes made
Targeted barrier: Researchers may not have tools for the job at hand Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Create guidance for planning research, or for writing protocols/funding applications (see Create tools to be used for early writing tasks)*
Create to-do lists in the order research is conducted, to help authors collect information they will need to report (see Create tools to be used for early writing tasks)*
Create templates for drafting (see Create tools to be used for early writing tasks)*
Create tools to facilitate checklist completion*	Adding objects to the environment	Enablement	Updating page numbers in a checklist is time consuming. It takes editors time to double check page numbers and content. Checklists may not include instructions of how to complete them.	No changes made
Create tools to facilitate particular reporting items*	Adding objects to the environment	Enablement	Some tools exist (e.g., PRISMA flow chart diagram maker, COBWEB)	No changes made
Create tools to help collaborators check each other’s work*	Adding objects to the environment	Enablement	Checklists exist but aren’t specifically designed for collaborators	No changes made
Create tools to help peer reviewers check reporting and request missing information*	Adding objects to the environment	Enablement	Checklists are reporting guidelines are not specifically aimed at peer reviewers	No changes made
Targeted barrier: Reporting guidelines can become outdated Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Provide feedback channels to help developers keep guidance updated (see Create spaces for authors to discuss reporting guidelines with others)		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may struggle to reconcile multiple sets of guidance Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Explain when reporting guidelines do not intended to prescribe structure	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Not always stated. Not always prominent Example: see Figure 9.6	Explained at top of guidance Example: see Figure 9.7
Provide instruction as to how and where information can be reported without breaching word count limits or making articles bloated (see above)		None
Embed reporting guidelines that “fit together” (see above)*		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may be asked to remove reporting guideline content Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Provide advice regarding how to respond if asked to remove reporting guideline content by a colleague, editor, or reviewer	Problem solving	Education	No advice given	Advice given in FAQ Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Reporting guideline resources may not be in usable formats Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Ensure all resources and tools (e.g., checklists and templates) are in ready-to-use formats (see above)*		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may feel afraid to report transparently Behavioural driver: Motivation
Present design advice separately to reporting advice	Restructuring the physical environment	Coercion (removal of)	Some reporting guideline E&Es include design advice Example: SRQR did not include design advice	No changes made
Make reporting guidelines agnostic to design choices (see Decrease fear of judgement by making reporting guidelines design agnostic)		None
Encourage explanation even when choices are unusual or not optimal	Instruction on how to perform the behaviour	Education	Not always present Example: See Figure 9.8	Added to items Example: See Figure 9.9
Reassure authors that all research has limitations (see Reassure that all research has limitations to encourage explanation over perfect design)		None
Include testimonials from researchers who were nervous about being punished for reporting transparently (see Include testimonials from researchers who were nervous about being punished for reporting transparently)		None
Targeted barrier: Researchers may feel restricted if reporting guidelines prescribe design Behavioural driver: Motivation
Present design advice separately and remain design agnostic (see Decrease fear of judgement by making reporting guidelines design agnostic)		None
Reassure when guidelines are just guidelines	Social support	Persuasion	Not always present or prominent Example: See Figure 9.6	Prominently displayed at top of reporting guideline Example: See Figure 9.7
Targeted barrier: Researchers may feel patronized Behavioural driver: Motivation
Create spaces for authors to discuss reporting guidelines with others (see above)		None
Avoid patronizing language	Remove aversive stimulus	Persuasion	Although authors may feel patronized when asked to adhere to a reporting guideline, reporting guidelines themselves rarely use patronizing language	Continue to avoid using patronizing language
Explain how the guidance was developed and why it can be trusted	Credible source	Education	Most reporting guidelines explain this in a published article. Checklists do not Example: See Figure 9.6	Brief description included on home page and at top of reporting guideline, links to full to development information Example: See Figure 9.7
Key Behaviour: Repeat engagement with reporting guidelines for subsequent studies
Targeted barrier: Researchers may forget to use reporting guidelines at earlier research stages Behavioural driver: Opportunity
Create prompts / communication campaigns to target authors early in their research (see above)*		None