ITEM 5.    Describe participant sampling: Was the study population a consecutive series of participants defined by the selection criteria in items 3 and 4? If not, specify how participants were further selected.

Example

Patients were prospectively enrolled during times the investigators or study associates were available.[1]

By definition, the targeted study population consists of all patients that satisfy the criteria for inclusion and are not disqualified by one or more of the exclusion criteria. The included patients (those whose findings comprise the study results) may be either a consecutive series of patients presenting at the study center, or a sub-selection. The sub-selection may or may not be truly random (e.g., by using a random numbers table). It is important for readers to know the sampling scheme, since it may be helpful in judging the generalisability of the study findings.

References