How to report how a filter was designed (scientific papers) + how to calculate filter attenuation? I am looking for a way to completely describe which kind of digital filters I used to process my data, although it seems only few publications in general report all the details.

I think I should describe at least


Which type of filter was applied (low-pass, high-pass, etc).
Cutoff frequencies
IIR / FIR
Phase response? 
How the filter was designed?
Transition bands


Also, I would like to know the attenuation is reported? Sometimes it is written that attenuation was x dB per octave, how does one calculate that?

I'm using MATLAB's fdatool for filter design + command filtfilt (zero-phase) to do the filtering. Basicly I would like to cover all the selections I made.
Five of those (low/high-pass, cutoff freq, and IIR/FIR, how the filter was designed, attenuation) can be easily described using words or numbers.  The others (phase response, transition bands) are often better described with a picture.

I would recommend describing those five "describable" characteristics and, if appropriate, put pictures of the phase and magnitude response along with the actual filter taps in an appendix or something.