Many open science initiatives focus on the availability of research datasets, however in recent years there has been a call for an open and transparent approach to sharing research methods too.
Open science is widely recognised in the scientific community as a key driver in improving the quality of scientific research. Many open science initiatives focus on the availability of research datasets i.e., the concept of open data, however in recent years there has been a call for an open and transparent approach to sharing research methods too.
Methods describe the processes, procedures and materials used in a research investigation. Devising a method and then implementing it is often the largest (and arguably the most challenging) part of the research. Methods can take many forms depending on the field and approach, including study designs, protocols, code, materials and reagents, databases, and more. They have the potential for adaptation and reuse in different contexts and across a broad range of research questions and disciplines. For that reason, methods-based articles and articles presenting new experimental techniques tend to be highly cited, and to attract readers and citations for a longer period than standard research articles.
In Open Biology, we consider submissions that present new or advanced methods, software, databases, or tools as the primary focus of the manuscript. Here are a few steps for improving your next Methods article:
- Describe it - the article should describe a new tool, technique or resource, or a sufficiently substantial advance of an existing tool, technique or resource that must present a proven advantage over existing alternatives, where applicable.
- Reproducibility is in the details - the biological material, data and methods should be described in full so that users have the necessary information needed to use them within their own work.
- Explore new (and old) questions - tools or techniques must also demonstrate the potential to experimentally address a biological question - if this is not possible, a discussion of the possible applications and some preliminary analysis may be satisfactory.
- Share it - if the article describes a database, new software, or a new software package, this must be open source and deposited in an appropriate archive.
- Lasting methods - for software, databases, and online tools, articles should also discuss the long-term use should also be discussed, as relevant.
Recent Methods and Techniques highlights in Open Biology:
Cytokinetic diversity in mammalian cells is revealed by the characterization of endogenous anillin, Ect2 and RhoA
Developing immortal cell lines from Xenopus embryos, four novel cell lines derived from Xenopus tropicalis
New tool in mapping axolotl development
Visualization of sympathetic neural innervation in human white adipose tissue
Dissecting the mechanisms of environment sensitivity of smart probes for quantitative assessment of membrane properties
Are you working on a new or improved method? Open Biology welcomes papers that present new or advanced methods, software, databases, or tools as the primary focus. Find out how to submit.
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Reference:
Leist, M. and Hengstler, J. G. (2018) “Essential components of methods papers”, ALTEX - Alternatives to animal experimentation, 35(3), pp. 429–432. doi: 10.14573/altex.1807031.
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