CheckList for EvaluAtion of Radiomics research (CLEAR): a step-by-step reporting guideline for authors and reviewers endorsed by ESR and EuSoMII

TLDR

Radiomics holds promise for clinical decision‑making but is largely confined to academic research, and its complex workflow often results in poor reporting and reproducibility, with existing AI guidelines not tailored to radiomics. The authors aim to provide a comprehensive checklist to guide study design, manuscript preparation, and peer review, thereby enhancing the quality, reliability, and reproducibility of radiomics research. They developed the CLEAR checklist—58 items assembled by an international expert panel via a modified Delphi process, available as a dynamic online tool and public repository for community feedback. The CLEAR checklist establishes minimum reporting standards for clinical radiomics studies and is intended to become a standard, single‑document tool for authors and reviewers to improve the literature.

Abstract

Even though radiomics can hold great potential for supporting clinical decision-making, its current use is mostly limited to academic research, without applications in routine clinical practice. The workflow of radiomics is complex due to several methodological steps and nuances, which often leads to inadequate reporting and evaluation, and poor reproducibility. Available reporting guidelines and checklists for artificial intelligence and predictive modeling include relevant good practices, but they are not tailored to radiomic research. There is a clear need for a complete radiomics checklist for study planning, manuscript writing, and evaluation during the review process to facilitate the repeatability and reproducibility of studies. We here present a documentation standard for radiomic research that can guide authors and reviewers. Our motivation is to improve the quality and reliability and, in turn, the reproducibility of radiomic research. We name the checklist CLEAR (CheckList for EvaluAtion of Radiomics research), to convey the idea of being more transparent. With its 58 items, the CLEAR checklist should be considered a standardization tool providing the minimum requirements for presenting clinical radiomics research. In addition to a dynamic online version of the checklist, a public repository has also been set up to allow the radiomics community to comment on the checklist items and adapt the checklist for future versions. Prepared and revised by an international group of experts using a modified Delphi method, we hope the CLEAR checklist will serve well as a single and complete scientific documentation tool for authors and reviewers to improve the radiomics literature.