ArticleBMJ open2023
Development of the TrAnsparent ReportinG of observational studies Emulating a Target trial (TARGET) guideline.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Conducting observational analyses with the target trial emulation approach: a methodological systematic review.BMJ open · 2024Pooled it
- Methodological innovations to advance substance use disorder research: Proceedings of a NIDA workshop on target trial emulation and translational testing of digital health tools.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2026Article
- Target trial emulation studies in oncology: a comprehensive analysis.The oncologist · 2026Article
- Exposure definition sensitivity unmasks hidden confounding in crystalloid target trial emulation.iScience · 2026Article
- A target trial emulation of the CONFIRM study with an extension to subgroups: an example for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Medically Assisted Reproduction and Hormone-Related Cancers.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Clinical Impact of NOTCH3 Variant Location After First Stroke in CADASIL.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2026Article
- Target trial emulation: bridging observational studies and randomized trials for health decision-making.Journal of comparative effectiveness research · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of Pre-Transplant Dual GLP-1 Receptor Agonist and SGLT2 Inhibitor Therapy on All-Cause Mortality in Organ Transplantation Candidates with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: a Target-Trial Emulation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- A causal inference framework to compare the effectiveness of life-sustaining ICU therapies-using the example of cancer patients with sepsis.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Article
- Clinical Pharmacology of Heart Failure in Frailty.European cardiology · 2026Review
- Identifying and avoiding design related biases in observational studies using the target trial framework.BMJ medicine · 2026Article
- A Tutorial for Propensity Score Weighting Methods Under Violations of the Positivity Assumption.Statistics in medicine · 2025Article
- Opportunities, challenges and future perspectives for target trial emulation in critical care clinical research.Critical care (London, England) · 2025Review
- Raising the bar for causal inference: PLOS Medicine adopts the TARGET guidelines for target trial emulation studies.PLoS medicine · 2025Article
- Improving reporting of observational studies of interventions: The TARGET guideline.PLoS medicine · 2025Article
- Transparent Reporting of Observational Studies Emulating a Target Trial-The TARGET Statement.JAMA · 2025 · on this mapArticle
- Concomitant Comedications and Survival With First-Line Pembrolizumab in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.JAMA network open · 2025Observational
- Target trial emulation: harnessing real-world data to evaluate surgery and perioperative care interventions.The British journal of surgery · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
20 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundObservational studies are increasingly used to inform health decision-making when randomised trials are not feasible, ethical or timely. The target trial approach provides a framework to help minimise common biases in observational studies that aim to estimate the causal effect of interventions. Incomplete reporting of studies using the target trial framework limits the ability for clinicians, researchers, patients and other decision-makers to appraise, synthesise and interpret findings to inform clinical and public health practice and policy. This paper describes the methods that we will use to develop the TrAnsparent ReportinG of observational studies Emulating a Target trial (TARGET) reporting guideline. METHODS/
designThe TARGET reporting guideline will be developed in five stages following recommended guidance. The first stage will identify target trial reporting practices by systematically reviewing published studies that explicitly emulated a target trial. The second stage will identify and refine items to be considered for inclusion in the TARGET guideline by consulting content experts using sequential online surveys. The third stage will prioritise and consolidate key items to be included in the TARGET guideline at an in-person consensus meeting of TARGET investigators. The fourth stage will produce and pilot-test both the TARGET guideline and explanation and elaboration document with relevant stakeholders. The fifth stage will disseminate the TARGET guideline and resources via journals, conferences and courses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for the survey has been attained (HC220536). The TARGET guideline will be disseminated widely in partnership with stakeholders to maximise adoption and improve reporting of these studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.