Protocol for development of a checklist and guideline for transparent reporting of cluster analyses (TRoCA).

Journal: BMJ open
Published Date: Aug 21, 2025

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Cluster analysis, a machine learning-based and data-driven technique for identifying groups in data, has demonstrated its potential in a wide range of contexts. However, critical appraisal and reproducibility are often limited by insufficient reporting, ultimately hampering the interpretation and trust of key stakeholders. The present paper describes the protocol that will guide the development of a reporting guideline and checklist for studies incorporating cluster analyses-Transparent Reporting of Cluster Analyses.

Authors

  • Daniil Lisik
    Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden daniil.lisik@gmail.com.
  • Syed Ahmar Shah
    Asthma UK Center for Applied Research, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  • Rani Basna
    Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • Tai Dinh
    CMC University, No. 11, Duy Tan Street, Dich Vong Hau Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
  • Ryan P Browne
    Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
  • Jeffrey L Andrews
    Department of Statistics, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
  • Meredith Wallace
    Department of Psychiatry, Statistics and Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • Absalom Ezugwu
    Unit for Data Science and Computing, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
  • Ana Marušić
    Center for Evidence-based Medicine, Department of Research in Biomedicine and Health, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia.
  • Dat Tran
    University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
  • Joaquín Torres-Sospedra
    Institute of New Imaging Technologies (INIT), Jaume I University, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: jtorres@uji.es.
  • Hieu-Chi Dam
    Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Japan.
  • Philippe Fournier-Viger
    College of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Big Data Institute, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
  • Christian Hennig
    Department of Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati", University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
  • Marieke Timmerman
    Department of Psychometrics and Statistics, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
  • Matthijs J Warrens
    GION Education/Research, Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
  • Eva Ceulemans
    Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
  • Bright I Nwaru
    Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • Tina M Hernandez-Boussard
    Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stanford School of Medicine, CA.

Keywords

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals