Table 3 Final SAR4Research reporting checklist (expanded)

Title and Abstract

1a. Title: Purpose (e.g., outcome evaluation) and study design (e.g., case study, realist evaluation) with commonly used terms.

1b. Abstract: Structured summary of importance (e.g., health issue), study design with a commonly used term, methods (research and intervention), results (including participation rates), and conclusions.

1c. Keywords: Keywords referring to social accountability and development outcomes

Introduction

2a. Background: Rationale for the study and how it contributes to what is known.

2b. Research objectives: Specific objectives, research questions, or hypotheses.

2c. Theory of change: Anticipated “mechanism” of action (I.e., theory of change, logic model, program theory or conceptual framework with intermediate and long-range outcomes).

2d. Setting or context: Setting or context of the intervention, highlighting factors that influenced its design and implementation (e.g., geographic context, epidemiologic context, social context, political context).

Methods

3. Study design

3a. Design & development: Who developed design & their role, description of study design with a commonly used term, explain how the design addresses objectives. As relevant, describe allocation (e.g., randomization/allocation) to conditions.

3b. Design changes: Important changes after the study began (e.g., to design, participants, outcomes) and whether changes were part of an adaptive design.

4. Study participants and sample size

4a. Eligibility criteria, sample size & selection.

- Inclusion and exclusion criteria for each group (intervention, comparison) of participants (e.g., individual, group, community, health system) for each data set (quantitative, qualitative, monitoring) included in analyses presented. Identify differences in eligibility for intervention and research participants, if relevant.

- Planned sample size, for each data set presented.

- Participant selection process for each data set presented.

4b. Data collection procedures: Data collection, recording and storage procedures, for each data set presented (e.g., location, data collectors and whether they were blinded to assignment, study tools, types of questions, themes explored).

5. Social accountability intervention

5a. Setting: Where and when (month, year) implemented, and key characteristics that influenced design or expected outcomes.

5b. Social accountability intervention: development, approaches & implementation: Background research (e.g., political economy analysis) and roles of developers (stakeholders & community). Name intervention tools, processes & components with terms used in literature. Specify scale (e.g., facility, subnational governance).

5c. Parameters: Implementation stages, including who the intervention participants were and how marginalized groups were represented.

5d. Costs: Estimate financial and other resources required for implementation

6. Overall goal and main objectives: Define health and social accountability outcomes, including intermediate and longer-term outcomes along pathway of change.

7. Analytical methods

7a. Quantitative analysis: Statistical methods used to assess outcomes (e.g., compare groups on outcomes, test interactions, identify mediators), including methods to reduce biases, analyses to test pathways of change and any ancillary analysis (e.g., subgroup analyses, adjusted analyses etc.).

7b. Qualitative analysis: Approach and analytic methods, including how saturation was determined, coding, reliability assessment, how themes were derived and analyzed.

7c. Implementation fidelity: As relevant, describe methods used to describe and analyze fidelity to implementation plans.

7d. Triangulation: As relevant, describe methods used for integrating/triangulating data

Results

8. Implementation fidelity results: As relevant, describe results.

9. Data collection results

9a. Timing: Provide dates (month, year) of recruitment, and all follow up periods, and if relevant why study was ended before planned.

9b. Quantitative data: For each group (e.g., intervention, comparison) and each data set, provide numbers assigned, receiving the intervention, and analyzed for each outcome presented. Where possible, provide the number approached, screened and eligible prior to assignment, with reasons for non- enrolment. For each group, describe losses after assignment and reasons.

9c. Qualitative data: For each group, numbers sampled and exposed to intervention.

10. Sample description: Baseline sample characteristics, by group assignment (for each data set), highlighting important differences in analyses presented.

11. Main and other results

11a. Quantitative results: Results for each outcome for each group, providing estimated effect size and precision (e.g., 95% confidence interval). Provide results of other analyses, including mediational (test pathways) analyses, subgroup analyses and adjusted analyses

11b. Qualitative results: Present major and minor themes for different groups/stakeholders. Describe diverse cases and provide supporting quotations. If relevant, describe how intervention influenced pathways of change or describe mechanisms of effects. Summary findings, interpretations, and theories generated.

11c. Triangulation results: Results from combining datasets/mixed methods analyses.

12. Harms: As relevant, all important harms or unintended effects in each group.

Discussion

13. Limitations: Address sources of bias, conflicts of interest, and changes in context (e.g., political instability) that occurred during implementation.

14. Generalizability: Discuss generalizability (external validity, reliability, applicability), taking into account study population, intervention characteristics, length of follow-up, incentives, compliance rates, and specific site/contextual issues.

15.Interpretation: Interpret all findings, balancing benefits and harms and considering other relevant evidence.

Important information

16a. Trial registration/protocol: As relevant, where study registered (provide link) and how protocol can be accessed.

16b: Declaration of Interest: Sources of funding/support and other interests.

16c: Transparency: Whether and where datasets are publicly available; whether/where ethical approvals were secured and key procedures.