CARE Checklist Checker
Check your clinical case report against the CARE reporting checklist before submission.
Check my manuscript, it's freeNo account required · Results in <2 minutes · PDF, Word & LaTeX
What the CARE checklist requires
CARE (CAse REport) is the EQUATOR-endorsed reporting guideline for clinical case reports. The CARE checklist covers the title, abstract, introduction, patient information, clinical findings, a timeline, diagnostic assessment, therapeutic intervention, follow-up and outcomes, discussion, the patient perspective, and informed consent. Many journals require CARE-compliant reporting and a signed patient-consent statement for case reports. CheckMyManuscript flags missing or structurally incomplete CARE elements, such as an absent timeline, missing patient perspective, or no informed-consent statement, so you can fix them before submission. It checks presence and structure, not clinical adequacy.
CARE items, and what CMM checks
Each item below maps to the CARE checklist. CMM flags presence and structural signals; clinical adequacy is editorial and needs human review.
Title & abstract
✓ CMM checks thisThe word "case report" appears in the title; abstract summarises the case and what is unusual or instructive.
Flag: title does not identify the article as a case report.
Source: care-statement.org · verified Jun 16, 2026
Patient information & clinical findings
✓ CMM checks thisDe-identified demographics, main concerns and symptoms, relevant history, and clinical findings.
Source: care-statement.org · verified Jun 16, 2026
Timeline
✓ CMM checks thisA timeline of the episode of care, often as a figure or table.
Flag: no timeline of the diagnostic and therapeutic milestones.
Source: care-statement.org · verified Jun 16, 2026
Diagnostic assessment, intervention & outcomes
✓ CMM checks thisDiagnostic methods and challenges, therapeutic interventions, and follow-up with outcomes.
Source: care-statement.org · verified Jun 16, 2026
Patient perspective & informed consent
✓ CMM checks thisThe patient's perspective on their care, and a statement that informed consent was obtained.
Flag: no informed-consent statement, a common reason case reports are returned.
Source: care-statement.org · verified Jun 16, 2026
Clinical reasoning adequacy
Editorial, not auto-checkableWhether the diagnostic reasoning and management decisions were sound.
Editorial judgement, outside the scope of an automated checker.
Source: equator-network.org · verified Jun 16, 2026
This page reflects the CARE checklist for case reports. CheckMyManuscript checks for the presence, structure, and likely-completeness signals of each item; it does not assess clinical reasoning and does not replace peer review. Verify the live checklist before submitting, last checked 16 June 2026.
CARE is the reporting standard for clinical case reports. Journals that publish case reports typically expect CARE-compliant structure and a signed patient-consent statement. CheckMyManuscript screens your manuscript for the presence and structure of each CARE element so preventable gaps are caught before submission.
What CheckMyManuscript checks, and what it does not
CheckMyManuscript flags structural signals: a missing timeline, no patient perspective, an absent informed-consent statement, or obvious patient identifiers. It does not judge whether the diagnosis or management was clinically appropriate, or whether the case is novel enough to publish. Those are editorial and clinical judgements. Use the checker as a pre-submission completeness screen, not a compliance certificate.
Also see: CONSORT checklist checker | STROBE checklist checker | Medical papers checker
CARE-specific checks
Identified as case report
Flags if the title does not identify the article as a case report.
Timeline
Flags if no timeline of the episode of care is present.
Informed consent
Flags an absent informed-consent statement.
Patient perspective
Flags if the patient perspective is not reported.
Outcomes & follow-up
Flags if follow-up and outcomes are not reported.
De-identification signals
Flags obvious identifiers that may breach patient privacy.
Checks relevant to this topic
Part of our 80+ automated checks
Identified as case report
Title identifies the article type.
Timeline present
Episode-of-care timeline included.
Informed consent
Informed-consent statement present.
Patient perspective
Patient perspective reported.
Outcomes reported
Follow-up and outcomes reported.
The practical edge your peers already use
Across disciplines and career stages, researchers reduce bottlenecks and submit with confidence: clearer drafts, easier guideline compliance, and less back and forth with co‑authors and reviewers.
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The CARE checklist asks for a statement that the patient gave informed consent for publication, and most journals require it for case reports. Manuscripts without a consent statement are frequently returned during editorial screening.
No. CheckMyManuscript checks the presence, structure, and likely-completeness signals of CARE items, for example, whether a timeline, patient perspective, and informed-consent statement exist. It does not assess clinical reasoning and does not replace peer or editorial review.
Beyond CARE-compliant reporting, journals look for a case that is novel, instructive, or clinically important. CARE, and CheckMyManuscript, address the reporting completeness, not the underlying clinical novelty, which is an editorial judgement.