Evidence-Based Toxicology

Reproducible methods in toxicology

A major challenge to the reproducibility of findings in toxicological research is the brevity and lack of sufficient detail in the methods sections of published manuscripts.

Whatever the reason for methods sections being brief (word count limits, readability, linking out to previously published materials), unfortunately, methods descriptions that are incomplete impair the reproducibility of study methods.

Often, it is fine for methods sections to be brief, but when reproducibility does matter, we need all the methods in one place, including the detailed “secret sauce” that actually makes it work in a laboratory or desktop situation.

Since methods with this much detail cannot realistically be published in conventional study manuscripts, other publishing formats better-suited to supporting reproducibility need to be explored.

To support this exploration, we are inviting submissions of research protocols, i.e. methods-only papers that describe in detail the operational procedures for a reproducible study method.

What we are looking for in a repoducible methods submission

A reproducible method should consist of a step-by-step operational procedure that another researcher ought to be able to follow with a reasonable expectation of coming to the same results.

Note, this is not necessarily about direct replication (although replication can be a target). Nor does it need to be a complete protocol for an entire study - it can address only a specific part of a research process, especially if that part is technically challenging and recognised as being difficult to reliably repeat in different places (consistent nanomaterial exposure in vitro being just one example).

The point is that if a method is a good way of finding something out, or is a good way of ensuring the quality of some experimental procedure, such that if were shared it would help the toxicology community better implement sometimes complex and challenging methodological processes, then such operational procedures should be published.

Operational methods can be expected to evolve and improve over time, so the method should ideally be versioned and published on a methods platform such as protocols.io to support discovery and adaptation.

The method should be accompanied by a brief description of how it was developed, its scope and applicability, limitations and need for further work, evidence of its utility to the toxicology community, and evidence of its repeatability (even if this is only to show the promise of the method, rather than demonstrate its general reproducibility).