Team Tallies Preclinical Lab Study Reporting Impediments, Improvement Opportunities

In PLOS Biology, researchers at Ottawa Hospital, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and the University of Ottawa outline factors that impact preclinical laboratory study reporting and related study designs. Through interviews with 30 preclinical scientists, the team explored potential reporting barriers and factors that may enhance reporting — from awareness of such guidelines and available resources, time, personnel, education, and training to investigators' desire for reliable, high-quality study design — in an effort to bolster preclinical research design and reporting strategies in the future. "Using existing guidance … we mapped and coded our interview findings to identify potential interventions, policies, and implementation strategies to improve routine use of the guidelines by preclinical scientists," they write. "These findings will help inform specific strategies that may guide the development of programs and resources to improve experimental design and transparent reporting in preclinical research."