Rigor and Reproducibility
The Hooker Imaging Core (HIC) is committed to providing researchers with tools to ensure their research is rigorous and reproducible. The following are specific ways in which the HIC contributes to the rigor and reproducibility of research:
- The HIC performs regular maintenance on all instruments and covers the most complex ones with comprehensive service contracts. These actions contribute to a suite of reliable instruments that can be used by trained scientists with confidence.
- The HIC provides recommendations for light microscopy sample preparation and an introduction and reading material for proper sampling methods.
- The HIC provides individual training on all of its instruments, to ensure researchers learn proper image acquisition, image storage and metadata retention practices.
- The HIC can provide guidelines and tools for properly displaying images.
- The HIC provides consulting and on-on-one training on image analysis pipelines.
- HIC personnel are available to consult on writing methods sections for papers.
- The HIC can provide detailed information on light-sources, filter sets, detectors, and other hardware components for proper description in methods sections.
- The HIC staff communicates any system problems to all users that might be impacted, as well as workarounds and timelines for complete resolution. Similarly, the HIC staff will communicate changes to any instrument or analysis software to our users and make best efforts to maintain backwards compatibility.
While the HIC can guarantee work directly undertaken by its staff (maintenance and training) is done to the highest standards, it is the responsibility of individual scientists to ensure they follow our recommendations to ensure the rigor and reproducibility of their research.
Eight Steps to Rigorous and Reproducible Experiments in Biomedical Research
In addition to the specific ways in which the HIC contributes to the rigor and reproducibility of research conducted in the core, all of UNC is committed to this goal. General guidelines for rigorous and reproducible research at UNC can be found here:
- If using a core facility, consult with the core staff in the planning stage. Consult with a statistician if you need help developing a Power Analysis to assure that your results will be adequately powered.
- Design your experiment with sufficient controls (rigor) and replicates (reproducibility).
- Assure that ALL of your reagents (antibodies, cell lines, mice) are fully validated (see below).
- Have a clear and detailed protocol (SOP) and data analysis plan. Assure that the protocol is strictly followed or that any deviation is well documented.
- Assure that the staff or students performing the experiment are well trained and understand each step and the importance of performing them precisely.
- Use only well-maintained instrumentation, preferably maintained and operated in a core facility with expert staff (see #1 above).
- Document all steps, reagents, equipment and data analysis methods used in the experiment. Assure that the both the documentation and the data itself are properly stored in a safe data management repository.
- Acknowledge the Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA016086) (if applicable), other grants that support the core, the core (by name), and core staff in publications.
Please note that the NIH now requires rigor and reproducibility to be addressed explicitly in many grant applications. More information can be found here.