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2024 Best Negative Data Prize in Preclinical Neuroscience
April 5, 2024The Global Preclinical Data Forum, in collaboration with Cohen Veterans Bioscience, the Partnership for Assessment and Accreditation of Scientific Practice (PAASP)…
Read MoreDon’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
December 22, 2023The pressure to replace animal research with non-animal methods is growing. Earlier this year, NIH has issued a “Request for Information…
Read More“Home inspections” for life sciences companies going public before clinical proof of concept
December 22, 2023For over a decade, there is a trend of less specialized investment firms and public equity investors betting on life sciences…
Read MoreAdditional 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 MoreA qualitative study of the barriers to using blinding in in vivo experiments and suggestions for improvement
December 22, 2023In animal experiments, blinding is a methodological strategy to reduce the risk that scientists, animal care staff, or other staff involved…
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 MoreAdvanced methods and implementations for the meta-analyses of animal models: Current practices and future recommendations
December 22, 2023Meta-analytic techniques have been widely used to synthesize data from animal models of human diseases and conditions, but these analyses often…
Read MoreDesigning, conducting, and reporting reproducible animal experiments
December 22, 2023In this review, Emma Wilson and colleagues aim to engage researchers in the discussion on research reproducibility and to provide the…
Read MoreIs N-Hacking Ever OK?
December 22, 2023The consequences of collecting more data in pursuit of statistical significanceYou probably have encountered this: you did an experiment, observed a…
Read MoreEQIPD Webinar series 2023
December 22, 2023The GoEQIPD Webinar Series provided a foundation for best practices in preclinical research and how the EQIPD quality system can be…
Read MoreJoin the GoEQIPD society
December 22, 2023The GoEQIPD e.V. society was founded by former members of the EQIPD consortium in 2022 as the legacy organization for the IMI-funded EQIPD…
Read MoreGoEQIPD is a partner in the iRISE research project
December 22, 2023The Guarantors of EQIPD (GoEQIPD) are delighted to be involved in the iRISE consortium, funded by the EU Horizon program. The iRISE project (short…
Read MoreGood Research Practice online course
December 22, 2023We are thrilled to announce that we have completed the development of our Good Research Practice online course and it will…
Read MoreNewsletter December 2023
December 22, 2023Welcome to the EQIPD/PAASP Newsletter! We wish all our readers, supporters, colleagues and friends a wonderful Holiday Season and a great…
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 MoreR script: Sex as a biological variable in preclinical research
December 21, 2023This is the script which is mentioned in the article HERE.
Read More“Publication of negative/null results discussed at NIH”
November 2, 2022NINDS Office of Research Quality has presented a proposal on how to address the publication bias. It can be watched HERE (starts at…
Read More“The customer is king!”
November 2, 2022Once during our vacation in Greece, our children asked for ice cream after having dinner. When the waiter was asked about…
Read More“Hold your horses!”
November 2, 2022Risk of Alzheimer’s disease nearly doubles in older adults with Covid-19! Like many of you, several weeks ago we have also…
Read More“The Steal syndrome – or the FDA Modernization Act to end animal testing requirement passes U.S. Senate”
November 2, 2022On September 29, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, S.5002, by unanimous consent. While it is unclear…
Read MoreNewsletter November 2022
November 2, 2022News “Aligned on Quality” meeting (Berlin, Oct 10th 2022) – Read more Launch of the “Research Quality Transparency” Tool – Read more Federal Actions Needed…
Read MoreADDITIONAL READS NOVEMBER 2022
November 2, 2022Further commentaries, articles and blog posts worth reading: Without appropriate metadata, data-sharing mandates are pointless Research funders and the promotion of…
Read MoreObserving Many Researchers Using the Same Data and Hypothesis Reveals a Hidden Universe of Uncertainty
November 2, 2022Most discussions of reliability problems in science focus on systematic biases. In this article, Nate Breznau and colleagues broaden the lens…
Read MoreAI-enabled image fraud in scientific publications
November 2, 2022Destroying image integrity in scientific papers may result in serious consequences. Inappropriate duplication and fabrication of images are two common misconducts…
Read MoreCell line authentication: a necessity for reproducible biomedical research
November 2, 2022Immortalized or continuous cell lines are invaluable tools in basic and preclinical research. However, the widespread use of misidentified cell lines…
Read MoreFinding the best fit for improving reproducibility: reflections from the QUEST Center for Responsible Research
November 2, 2022Increasing the reproducibility and trustworthiness of biomedical research requires engaging stakeholders from all levels in an institutional setting. The QUEST Center…
Read MoreIs the future of peer review automated?
November 2, 2022The rising rate of preprints and publications, combined with persistent inadequate reporting practices and problems with study design and execution, have…
Read MoreDesigning and implementing a research integrity promotion plan: Recommendations for research funders
November 2, 2022Various stakeholders in science have put research integrity high on their agenda. Among them, research funders are prominently placed to foster…
Read MoreCitation counts and journal impact factors do not capture some indicators of research quality in the behavioural and brain sciences
November 2, 2022Citation data and journal impact factors are important components of faculty dossiers and figure prominently in both promotion decisions and assessments…
Read MoreMany researchers were not compliant with their published data sharing statement: mixed-methods study
November 2, 2022The objective of the study was to analyze researchers’ compliance with their data availability statement (DAS) from manuscripts published in open-access…
Read MorePlea for a Simple But Radical Change in Scientific Publication: To Improve Openness, Reliability, and Reproducibility, Let’s Deposit and Validate Our Results before Writing Articles
November 2, 2022In this article, Jean-Antoine Girault proposed a simple change in the way scientists publish their findings to improve reliability and reproducibility…
Read MoreRRID for the EQIPD Quality System
November 2, 2022The EQIPD Quality System has now an RRID from SciCrunch: SCR_022729. This is another step forward for providing possibilities for users to…
Read MoreA new GoEQIPD discussion room
November 2, 2022The Guarantors of EQIPD plan to have an informal room for open conversations and discussions on the EQIPD quality system. The…
Read MoreFederal Actions Needed to Promote Stronger Research Practices
November 2, 2022The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review strategies to improve the reliability of federally funded research. In their report, GAO…
Read MoreLaunch of the online version of the “Research Quality Transparency” Tool
November 2, 2022This tool was originally developed by an EQIPD Consortium Taskforce and is now implemented online with support from a SBIR award…
Read More“Aligned on Quality” meeting (Berlin, Oct 10th 2022)
November 2, 2022EQIPD and PAASP, together with colleagues from the QUEST Center and the Global Preclinical Data Forum, led a discussion on how…
Read MoreEQIPD in different languages
September 11, 2022Besides this Newsletter, you will also find all relevant news and developments related to EQIPD on the EQIPD-website and in the EQIPD Toolbox….
Read MoreThe EQIPD Framework
September 6, 2022The EQIPD framework for rigor in the design, conduct, analysis, and documentation of animal experiments was published today. It defines the demands for…
Read MoreThe EQIPD Quality System was presented at the World Conference on Research Integrity
June 16, 2022The World Conference on Research Integrity in 2022 happened in Cape Town, South Africa from May 29 to June 01. The…
Read MoreFirst International Society for Preclinical Research Quality Systems Launched
June 16, 2022The Guarantors of EQIPD e.V. (GoEQIPD) announce the formation of a registered association, registered in Heidelberg Germany, to host and to ensure…
Read MoreEQIPD-PAASP working relationship
June 16, 2022As an important step forward in the evolution of the EQIPD quality system for preclinical research, the Guarantors of EQIPD e.V and the PAASP…
Read MoreNewsletter June 2022
June 16, 2022News First International Society for Preclinical Research Quality Systems Launched – Read more EQIPD-PAASP working relationship – Read more The EQIPD…
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 MoreArchimedes‘ fulcrum and the “reproducibility” debate
June 16, 2022We like to cite Dorothy Bishop who wrote several years ago: “We know how to formulate and test hypotheses in controlled…
Read More“Serial de-risking”: Quod licet Iovi non licet bovi?
June 16, 2022When it comes to novel therapies, positive data has justifiably more value than negative or null data. Indeed, positive data promises…
Read MoreAdditional reads in June 2022
June 16, 2022European Journal of Behavior Analysis: women, men, and authorship Are there any good experiments that should not be done? ‘Robot scientist’…
Read MoreConsiderations for implementing electronic laboratory notebooks in an academic research environment
June 16, 2022Stuart Higgins and colleagues describe in this review article the use of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN) from different perspectives. First, they…
Read MoreMany researchers were not compliant with their published data sharing statement: mixed-methods stud
June 16, 2022In this article, the authors analysed researchers’ compliance with their Data Availability Statement (DAS) from manuscripts published in open access journals…
Read MoreBlind spots on western blots: a meta-research study highlighting opportunities to improve figures and methods reporting
June 16, 2022Western blotting is a standard laboratory method used to detect proteins and assess their expression levels. Unfortunately, poor western blot image…
Read MoreDo multiple experimenters improve the reproducibility of animal studies?
June 16, 2022In light of the reproducibility crisis, there is a growing awareness that the rigorous standardization of experimental conditions may contribute to…
Read MoreTesting the reproducibility and robustness of the cancer biology literature by robot
June 16, 2022Scientific results should be reproducible and robust. However, when reproducibility is tested, it is often not found (often termed ’reproducibility crisis’),…
Read MoreWhat has preclinical systematic review ever done for us?
June 16, 2022Systematic reviews and meta-analyses deliver a crystallized understanding of the existing research data in any given space. However, grappling with the…
Read MoreReanalysis: the forgotten sibling of reproducibility and replicability
June 16, 2022Ensuring reproducibility and replicability has been an issue in many scientific disciplines in the past decade. In this commentary, Matthew Faria…
Read MorePreregistration of animal research protocols: development and 3-year overview of preclinicaltrials.eu
June 16, 2022Although commonly acknowledged and applied in clinical research since 2000, preregistration of animal studies is not yet the norm. In 2018…
Read MoreBringing microscopy images to the next level
June 16, 2022In this Nature Methods issue, the global microscopy community presented comprehensive efforts to improve reporting and reproducibility of microscopy images. Articles…
Read MorePartnership with GoEQIPD
May 27, 2022The Guarantors of EQIPD and PAASP Network are delighted to announce the launch of a joint effort to promote the EQIPD framework, to…
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 MorePre-study odds
March 14, 2022One of the key themes in the 2005 seminal paper by John Ioannidis “Why most published research findings are false” is…
Read MoreAdditional reads in March 2022
March 14, 2022The new normal? Redaction bias in biomedical science Why Discovering ‘Nothing’ in Science Can Be So Incredibly Important New Frontiers research…
Read MoreThe MDAR (Materials Design Analysis Reporting) Framework for transparent reporting in the life sciences
March 14, 2022The MDAR working group came together in late 2017 with the intention to develop a framework to promote transparent reporting, with…
Read MoreThe impact of methodology on the reproducibility and rigor of DNA methylation data
March 14, 2022Research focusing on epigenetic modifications is a growing field in the neuroscience area. However, issues related to data reproducibility across laboratories…
Read MoreThe past, present and future of Registered Reports
March 14, 2022Registered Reports are a form of publication in which study proposals are peer reviewed and pre-accepted before research is undertaken. By deciding which…
Read MoreExternal validity in translational biomedicine: understanding the conditions enabling the cause to have an effect
March 14, 2022A spectre is haunting biomedical research: It appears that a substantial fraction of published research results cannot be reproduced, while spectacularly…
Read MoreNewsletter March 2022
March 14, 2022A snake, having made his hole close to the porch of a cottage, inflicted a severe bite on the cottager’s infant…
Read MoreIllustrating the role of PPV, power and sample size with an R script
March 8, 2022This is the R Script referenced in the blog post LINK # ratio of true to not-true relationships tnott
Read MorePreparing for a journey
February 27, 2022Recently, I went on a trip to a nice hotel with a swimming pool. Upon arrival, standing in the modern room…
Read MoreExperiences with the EQIPD QS
January 20, 2022The perks of a quality system in academia The research group of Prof Kas at the University of Groningen was one…
Read MoreNEWSLETTER December 2021
December 20, 2021EQIPD News Update EQIPD Toolbox: Item “1.4.3.5 Expectations from public funders” – Read more New EQIPD-certified research unit – Read more…
Read MoreReference Collection to push back against “Common Statistical Myths”
December 20, 2021In this wiki, the author provides an easy to navigate list of references that may be used to argue against some common…
Read MoreThe “from-quality-to-system” pendulum
December 20, 2021by Anton Bespalov and Anja Gilis In the dialectics world of the German philosopher Georg Hegel, quantitative changes transform into qualitative…
Read MoreAdditional Reads in December 2021
December 20, 2021Want research integrity? Stop the blame game Einstein Foundation Award 2021 Understand the real reasons reproducibility reform fails Five keys to…
Read MoreNonreplicable publications are cited more than replicable ones
December 20, 2021In this article, Marta Serra-Garcia and Uri Gneezy used publicly available data to show that published papers in top psychology, economics,…
Read MoreInvestigating the replicability of preclinical cancer biology
December 20, 2021Replicability is an important feature of scientific research. Thus, the Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology was set up to provide evidence about…
Read MoreMisidentified biomedical resources: Journal guidelines are not a quick fix
December 20, 2021Some journals have implemented guidelines regarding the use and reporting of cell lines, antibodies, and laboratory animals to improve the value…
Read MorePre-Clinical Common Data Elements for Traumatic Brain Injury Research: Progress and Use Cases
December 20, 2021Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an extremely complex condition due to heterogeneity in injury mechanism, underlying conditions, and secondary injury. Pre-clinical…
Read MoreThe past, present and future of Registered Reports
December 20, 2021Registered Reports are a form of empirical publication in which study proposals are peer reviewed and pre-accepted before research is undertaken….
Read MoreHow can Core Facilities support best research practices?
December 20, 2021Core Facilities (CFs) are a major player within the research landscape since they provide essential infrastructures, experimental support and knowledge to…
Read MoreWorkshop: “Rigor, reproducibility and data management in nonclinical research”
December 20, 2021The aim of this workshop was to give participants theoretical knowledge and practical insights into the factors that contribute to poor research…
Read MoreNew EQIPD-certified research unit
December 20, 2021Concluding the pilot implementation efforts initiated by the EQIPD consortium team, the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience and Drug Development at the Maj Institute…
Read MoreEQIPD Toolbox – Item “1.4.3.5 Expectations from public funders”
December 20, 2021EQIPD has developed a tool to support a) funders willing to communicate their expectations about data management and rigor in study…
Read MoreA wiki platform to support the organization of research labs
November 3, 2021As part of the PREMIER project, a document sharing system was developed and made freely available as a template to all interested parties…
Read MoreNINDS Rigor Resources
November 3, 2021The National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has been gathering a list of currently available public resources that are, or can…
Read MoreOf peer review and data sharing
November 3, 2021We (preclinical) learn from the Big Brother (clinical). For example, they recognize the risks of bias in study design, conduct and…
Read More“Don’t cut the tree you are sitting on!”
November 3, 2021According to a recent press release from the European parliament, an EU-wide action plan is requested with ambitious and achievable objectives for phasing-out…
Read MoreAdditional Reads in November 2021
November 3, 2021Science Forum: A community-led initiative for training in reproducible research Reproducibility: expect less of the scientific paper Share methods through visual…
Read MoreMethodology over metrics: current scientific standards are a disservice to patients and society
November 3, 2021Although the issues related to poor quality of medical research are well known, the research community fails to properly address them….
Read MoreToward Standardized Guidelines for Investigating Neural Circuit Control of Behavior in Animal Research
November 3, 2021With the advent of tools for recording and manipulating activity with high spatiotemporal resolution in defined neural circuits in behaving animals,…
Read MoreInitial evidence of research quality of registered reports compared with the standard publishing model
November 3, 2021In registered reports (RRs), initial peer review and in-principle acceptance occur before knowing the research outcomes. This combats publication bias and…
Read MoreTechnological advances in preclinical meta-research
November 3, 2021Preclinical systematic reviews are vital; they serve many purposes by assessing the range and quality of the evidence. Through these reviews…
Read MoreeLabFTW as an Open Science tool to improve the quality and translation of preclinical research
November 3, 2021Together with the group of Ulf Kahlert from the University of Düsseldorf, PAASP’s Björn Gerlach published an article in F1000Research on…
Read MorePEERS – An Open Science “Platform for the Exchange of Experimental Research Standards” in Biomedicine
November 3, 2021Do I need to consider the sex of the animals for my study? Is the background noise level likely to vary?…
Read MoreMaterials Design Analysis Reporting (MDAR) Reports via SciScore
November 3, 2021We have recently introduced the Materials, Design, Analysis, and Reporting (MDAR) framework aiming at helping authors, editors, and other interested parties to increase…
Read MoreUKRN: Open research primers
November 3, 2021The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) has designed a new ‘primer series’ to introduce important topics in open and reproducible scholarship.Each primer…
Read MoreMeeting Report: Virtual FENS Regional Meeting 2021
November 3, 2021On 25 August 2021, at the Virtual FENS Regional Meeting, Anton Bespalov and Malgorzata Pietraszek (PAASP) moderated the Special Interest Event…
Read MoreEATRIS Workshop on “Research Quality and Reproducibility”
November 3, 2021European research infrastructures support academic research by providing networking opportunities and informing about current topics. In this context, the ERIC Forum…
Read MoreThe first EQIPD-certified Research Units:
November 3, 2021Concluding the pilot implementation efforts initiated by the EQIPD consortium team, the first four Research Units have implemented the EQIPD Quality…
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