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. 2025 Aug 13;16(1):175.
doi: 10.1186/s13244-025-02061-y.

Explanation and Elaboration with Examples for METRICS (METRICS-E3): an initiative from the EuSoMII Radiomics Auditing Group

Burak Kocak  1 , Angela Ammirabile  2   3 , Ilaria Ambrosini  4 , Tugba Akinci D'Antonoli  5   6 , Alessandra Borgheresi  7   8 , Armando Ugo Cavallo  9 , Roberto Cannella  10 , Gennaro D'Anna  11 , Oliver Díaz  12   13 , Fabio M Doniselli  14 , Salvatore Claudio Fanni  4 , Samuele Ghezzo  15   16 , Kevin B W Groot Lipman  17   18 , Michail E Klontzas  19   20 , Andrea Ponsiglione  21 , Arnaldo Stanzione  21 , Matthaios Triantafyllou  22 , Federica Vernuccio  10 , Renato Cuocolo  23
Affiliations

Explanation and Elaboration with Examples for METRICS (METRICS-E3): an initiative from the EuSoMII Radiomics Auditing Group

Burak Kocak et al. Insights Imaging. .

Abstract

Radiomics research has been hindered by inconsistent and often poor methodological quality, limiting its potential for clinical translation. To address this challenge, the METhodological RadiomICs Score (METRICS) was recently introduced as a tool for systematically assessing study rigor. However, its effective application requires clearer guidance. The METRICS-E3 (Explanation and Elaboration with Examples) resource was developed by the European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics-Radiomics Auditing Group in response. This international initiative provides comprehensive support for users by offering detailed rationales, interpretive guidance, scoring recommendations, and illustrative examples for each METRICS item and condition. Each criterion includes positive examples from peer-reviewed, open-access studies and hypothetical negative examples. In total, the finalized METRICS-E3 includes over 200 examples. The complete resource is publicly available through an interactive website. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: METRICS-E3 offers deeper insights into each METRICS item and condition, providing concrete examples with accompanying commentary and recommendations to enhance the evaluation of methodological quality in radiomics research. KEY POINTS: As a complementary initiative to METRICS, METRICS-E3 is intended to support stakeholders in evaluating the methodological aspects of radiomics studies. In METRICS-E3, each METRICS item and condition is supplemented with interpretive guidance, positive literature-based examples, hypothetical negative examples, and scoring recommendations. The complete METRICS-E3 explanation and elaboration resource is accessible at its interactive website.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Guideline; Machine learning; Quality assessment; Radiomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: Burak Kocak, Ilaria Ambrosini, Tugba Akinci D’Antonoli, Armando Ugo Cavallo, Roberto Cannella, Salvatore Claudio Fanni, Kevin Groot Lipman, Michail Klontzas, Andrea Ponsiglione, Arnaldo Stanzione, Federica Vernuccio, and Renato Cuocolo were part of the METRICS team. Roberto Cannella is the Social Media Section Editor of Insights into Imaging. Andrea Ponsiglione, Federica Vernuccio, Roberto Cannella, and Gennaro D’Anna are the members of the Editorial Board of Insights into Imaging; they did not take part in the review or selection processes of this article. Samuel Ghezzo is affiliated with Radiomics.bio. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
QR code and responsive display of the METRICS-E3 website. Scanning the QR code directs users to the METRICS-E3 web interface (https://radiomic.github.io/METRICS-E3/), which is optimized for use across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Website functionalities. Users can view all METRICS items and conditions via the item list section (orange rectangular box) and navigate directly to the corresponding content on the “METRICS Items and Conditions” page (orange arrow). Navigation panel (purple rectangular box) includes dropdown menus for accessing specific item or condition pages based on categories. The advanced search function (purple arrow) allows users to quickly locate specific items or search for keywords and concepts within METRICS-E3
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A sample item from METRICS-E3’s interactive website. The entire web page is accessible at https://radiomic.github.io/METRICS-E3/
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
General recommendations for using METRICS-E3 in conjunction with the METRICS tool
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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