EDUCATIONAL CORNER
Guidelines in Research
DRIVER: Design and reporting of in vitro experiments
December 18, 2025The RIVER project – originally standing for Reporting In Vitro Experiments Responsibly – was launched in order to improve reporting standards…
Read MoreWhy sex as a biological variable matters in preclinical research
August 20, 2025Treating sex as a biological variable means planning and reporting studies in a way that results are informative for both sexes….
Read MoreRecommendations to improve use and reporting of statistics in animal experiments
December 22, 2023Flaws in experimental statistics are a major contributor to the poor reproducibility of animal experiments. Informed decisions about whether conclusions are…
Read MoreCo-creating Research Integrity Education Guidelines for Research Institutions
December 22, 2023To support institutions to foster research integrity (RI), Krishma Labib and colleagues developed RI education guidelines together with RI experts and…
Read MoreCase Studies
Good Research Practice: Why not?
December 18, 2025This is indeed the central theme of the current newsletter and this has been the central theme in our discussions with…
Read MoreTo ARRIVE or not: Ticking (wrong) boxes
December 17, 2025Every now and then we read publications stating that experiments “were conducted according to ARRIVE guidelines”. In most cases, such statements suggest that…
Read More“Blinding in histopathology assessments – I see your point but…”
June 16, 2022We strongly believe that, in most cases, preclinical in vivo studies conducted without adequate protection against risks of bias (i.e., underpowered, without randomization, blinding,…
Read MoreHow much power should my next study have: One size fits all?
March 14, 2022There is a slow but steady increase in the number of publications where authors report on sample size justification. In most…
Read MoreEditorials
PAASP Editorial in the Journal Temperature
October 8, 2020Please following this LINK to our Editorial “Enhancing quality in preclinical data: Of hot science and cool quality”, which was just published in…
Read MoreDie Reproduzierbarkeitskrise: Bedrohung oder Chance für die Wissenschaft? (In German)
May 28, 2020In this Editorial, published in Biologie in unserer Zeit, Martin C. Michel and Ralf Dahm discuss threats and opportunities related to…
Read MoreeNeuro publishes Series on Scientific Rigor
July 22, 2016Christophe Bernard, editor in chief of eNeuro, mentions in this editorial the issue of scientific rigor with a reference to two Commentaries…
Read MoreAn incentive-based approach for improving data reproducibility
April 29, 2016In the editorial published in Science Translational Medicine, Michael Rosenblatt, Merck’s executive vice president and chief medical officer, said bad results…
Read MoreTools for researchers
Assessment of benefit of animal research
December 19, 2025Unless and until we have validated non-animal alternative methods available for routine use, the involvement of animals in research is required…
Read MoreValuable resource: Sex as a biological variable
December 19, 2025Several years ago, we were part of an NIH-funded consortium that developed training materials to provide practical guidance to preclinical researchers…
Read MoreDRIVER: Design and reporting of in vitro experiments
December 18, 2025The RIVER project – originally standing for Reporting In Vitro Experiments Responsibly – was launched in order to improve reporting standards…
Read MoreTo ARRIVE or not: Ticking (wrong) boxes
December 17, 2025Every now and then we read publications stating that experiments “were conducted according to ARRIVE guidelines”. In most cases, such statements suggest that…
Read MoreNew Publications
Additional Reads in December 2023
December 22, 2023Further commentaries, articles and blog posts worth reading:Zen und die Kunst, Forschung zu bewerten (in German) In defense of quantitative metrics…
Read MoreEffects of ketamine optical isomers, fluoxetine and naloxone on timing in differential reinforcement of low-rate response (DRL) 72-s task in rats
December 22, 2023This is one of the first publications reporting the results of original research performed in an EQIPD-certified laboratory. This study was…
Read MoreSystematic assessment of the replicability and generalizability of preclinical findings: Impact of protocol harmonization across laboratory sites
December 22, 2023The influence of protocol standardization between laboratories on their replicability of preclinical results has not been addressed in a systematic way….
Read MoreSex as a biological variable in preclinical research: Unforeseen and abused degree of freedom
December 21, 2023In many fields of biomedical research, in vivo studies traditionally involved the use of male subjects. The situation recently started to…
Read MoreCommentaries
Questionable data in neurodegeneration research: A coincidence?
December 23, 2025If you have not read the book “Doctored” by Charles Piller (here), you may want to have a look at the…
Read MoreScientist.com: Supporting EQIPD
December 22, 2025Contributed by Matt McLoughlin (Senior Vice President | Compliance & Categories) As the industry-leading solution for scientific outsourcing, Scientist.com connects over 140 biopharmaceutical…
Read MoreQuality management initiatives: Economic perspective
December 19, 2025In July 2025, the U.S. FDA published a white paper on how strategic investments in quality management initiatives in the pharmaceutical…
Read MoreCommentary: What if …
December 23, 2024Several years ago we discussed potential scenarios related to the outcome of Cassava’s Phase 3 program. To remind our readers, concerns…
Read MoreFun Section
May the laughter help us!
December 22, 2025In science, the most (in)famous dichotomy is created by p<0.05 and “positive” results indeed cannibalize “negative” results. A recently published Registered…
Read MoreA method to streamline p-hacking
June 16, 2021The analytic strategy of p-hacking has rapidly accelerated the achievement of psychological scientists’ goals (e.g., publications & tenure), but has suffered…
Read MoreScaling the y-axis
May 29, 2020One of our colleagues sent us this interesting image from a national TV station. Even though the topic is very sad…
Read MoreAll Posts
Announcement: Quality management workshop
December 24, 2025Organized by the EXCELSciOR project, GoEQIPD’s deputy René Bernard is conducting a full day Quality Management Workshop on January 29, 2026…
Read MoreTen years later: Are we there yet?
December 24, 2025PAASP was founded in November 2015 to provide services related to rigor in nonregulated biomedical research – with a mission to…
Read MoreEQIPD / PAASP Newsletter December 2025
December 24, 2025The current issue of our newsletter is special as this is issue no. 50 and it marks the 10th anniversary of PAASP! Today we share with…
Read MoreQuestionable data in neurodegeneration research: A coincidence?
December 23, 2025If you have not read the book “Doctored” by Charles Piller (here), you may want to have a look at the…
Read More