EDUCATIONAL CORNER
Guidelines in Research
Cell 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 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 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 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 MoreCase Studies
“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 MoreCareful interpretation of Western blotting data
February 23, 2021Western blotting represents a powerful technique for the semi-quantitative determination of protein expression and the detection of protein modifications like phosphorylation…
Read MoreIn vivo veritas
October 5, 2020Most of our readers are biologists but nevertheless we are occasionally exposed to medicinal chemistry literature describing novel research tools, lead…
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
AI-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 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 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 MoreNew Publications
ADDITIONAL 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 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 MoreCommentaries
“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 MoreFun Section
A 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 MoreFun, fun, fun…
March 31, 2020A mathematician, a physicist, and a statistician went hunting for deer. When they chanced upon one buck lounging about, the mathematician…
Read MoreAll Posts
“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 More