Are the input parameters required by the calculators clearly defined in the documentation?

Answer Explanations

• Yes

  Expert 4
  Yes their definitions and the model assumption are defined. 
• No (please explain)

  Expert 6
  Yes, but clarification of the units (standardization) of the inputs would be helpful.
• Yes

  Expert 1
  Yes, I like the simple approach used with the formula and variable explanation for each calculation. This is followed by an example which makes it even easier to understand.
• Yes

  Expert 9
  The required input parameters are clearly defined.  However, they may not be readily available for every exposure that a researcher is interested in; I have some suggestions regarding that in my general comments below.
• Yes

  Expert 8
  Yes. It's great that it's flexible, that one can 'play' with parameters that are not yet known (e.g. in planning a new study) and immediately see the effects on the power and bias analysis. It may be helpful to add examples here, not sure though. 
• No (please explain)

  Expert 2
  1.  I believe that not all users may be familiar with the statistical terms used in the calculators. Therefore, it would be helpful to provide explanations of key concepts like ICC and the validity coefficient within the calculators or user guides. Alternatively, citing relevant references would also be beneficial.
  2. For Calculator 2, it was unclear whether the Margin of Error (MOE) is defined as an absolute difference between means or as a percentage. Additionally, in the slider bar for MOE, it is not clear if values like 0.01, 0.21 refer to 0.01%, 0.21%, or 1%, 21%.
  3. Similarly, in Calculators 3a and 3b, it should be clarified whether the Minimum Detectable Effect (MDE) is defined as an absolute value or a percentage.
  4. In Calculator 4, the term "baseline probability" should be referred to as "background incidence" for greater clarity.