Observational studies are an important tool in the world of surgical outcomes research. The hallmark of sound published research is the ability of readers to assess the quality of a study, reproduce the results, and appropriately interpret the findings. To accomplish this, a thorough understanding of the key assumptions, methods, and limitations is required. In 2004, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Initiative convened a multidisciplinary work group to address the variable quality and lack of standardized reporting guidelines for observational research. The team, comprised of methodologists, researchers, and journal editors, developed recommendations on how to report an observational study accurately and completely.¹ The 22-item STROBE checklist provides key reporting recommendations for each section of the manuscript including the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion (Box). While not intended to assess the quality of the research, the checklist does serve as a common construct to report observational research in a standardized and rigorous manner.