Guidelines for Scientific Publications Involving Animal Studies

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The publication of research articles involving animal studies is central to many disciplines in science and biomedicine. Effective descriptions in such publications enable researchers to interpret the data, evaluate and replicate findings, and move the science forward. Analyses of published studies with research animals have demonstrated numerous deficiencies in the reporting of details in research methods for animal studies. Considerable variation in the amount of information required by scientific publications and reported by authors undermines this basic scientific principle and results in the unnecessary use of animals and other resources in failed efforts to reproduce study results.

Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications outlines the information that should be included in scientific papers regarding the animal studies to ensure that the study can be replicated. The report urges journal editors to actively promote effective and ethical research by encouraging the provision of sufficient information. Examples of this information include: conditions of housing and husbandry, genetic nomenclature, microbial status, detailed experimental manipulations, and handling and use of pharmaceuticals. Inclusion of this information will enable assessment and interpretation of research findings and advancement of knowledge based on reproducible results.

Publication information

42 pages · 8.5 x 11 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-21951-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-21952-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/13241

Suggested citation

National Research Council. 2011. Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Stephen W. Barthold

Stephen W. Barthold (IOM), DVM, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Veterinary and Medical Pathology, University of California, Davis. Dr. Barthold received his BS and DVM from UC Davis and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin. He became an IOM member in 2001. Dr. Barthold was elected to the National Academies Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2001, and is recipient of several career awards, including the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science Nathan R. Brewer Award for Career Excellence in Research, University of California Alumni Achievement Award, Francis Schofield Medal from the Ontario Veterinary College, Pfizer Research Award, American Veterinary Medical Association’s Charles River Award, and Honorary Diplomate status in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. He is nominated as a member because he has served on numerous national scientific advisory and review committees and journal editorial boards, and has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and books.

Jeffrey Everitt

Jeffrey Everett, DVM, Director, Comparative Medicine and Investigator Support, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development. He received is BS in Microbiology and DVM from Cornell University. His experience is as a scientist (experimental pathology/pulmonary biology) and also managed an animal care and use program (veterinarian). Author or co-author of more than 170 publications. He is nominated as chair because he has served on the editorial review boards of the following journals, Veterinary Pathology(1998-2001), Toxicologic Pathology(1997-2003), JAALAS(1997-present), Comparative Medicine (1997-present), Inhalation Toxicology(2004-2009), and Toxicological Sciences(2004-present). He served as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals in the areas of chemical carcinogenesis, pulmonary biology, toxicology, pathology, laboratory animal science and veterinary medicine and as an issue editor for one issue of the ILAR Journal.

Timo O. Nevalainen

Timo Nevalainen, DVM, PhD, Professor, National Laboratory Animal Center, University of Kuopio, Finland. He received is DVM and PhD from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Finland. He received his MS in Laboratory Animal Medicine from Pennsylvania State University. He is nominated as a member because he has been the Finnish editor for Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science since about 1990. In that capacity he has arranged refereeing and editing for about 5 scientific articles a year. He has also edited an international conference proceedings book and a textbook for scientists' competence course, the latter is published in Finnish.

Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith, DVM, PhD, Professor, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, received both his BS and MS degrees from the Ohio State University, where he later earned his DVM degree. He then received his PhD and completed post-doctoral training at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. He is presently a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. He is nominated as a member because he is the author of a book on avian radiographic anatomy, the author of 23 book chapters, and has published more than 120 referred journal articles. In addition, he currently serves as the Executive Editor of the International Journal of Recirculating Aquaculture, has been a co-editor of Volumes #3 and #4 on Techniques in Fish Immunology: Immunology and Immunopathology of Aquatic Invertebrates, and has been an issue editor for the ILAR Journal. He serves on the University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Mary Waltham

Mary Waltham, Owner and Independent Consultant, Mary Waltham Publishing Consultant. Ms. Waltham received her Postgraduate Certificate in Education and her B.Sc at the University of London. She is nominated as a member because she is past President and Publisher for Nature and the Nature family of journals in the US, and was Managing Director and Publisher of "The Lancet". Ms. Waltham has worked at a senior executive level in science and medical publishing companies across a range of media, which include textbooks, magazines, newsletters, journals, and open learning materials. She served on the NRC committee that authored the report Sharing Publication-Related Data and Materials: Responsibilities of Authorship in the Life Sciences (2003).

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Guidelines for Scientific Publications Involving Animal Studies

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Guidelines for Scientific Publications Involving Animal Studies

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Featured publication

Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications

Description

Contributors

Committee

Sponsors

Staff

Major units and sub-units

Contact

Contact us

Provide feedback

Request materials

More like this

Review of the draft United by Nature assessment

Modernizing Mathematics Education for Grades 9-14

Health Care Financing to Improve Availability of Affordable Contraception: Identifying Promising Practices

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Life Sciences and Biotechnology Program Area

Center for Health, People, and Places (CHPP)

Discussing and Understanding Animal Welfare Challenges in Research and Education on Wildlife, Non-Model Animal Species and Biodiversity – A Workshop

Rapid and Sustained Response by the Laboratory Animal Research Community During an Infectious Disease Pandemic: Lessons Being Learned from COVID-19--A workshop

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