Biomedical journal Cell is introducing a redesigned methods section to help authors clearly communicate how experiments are conducted amid discussions around scientific reproducibility. The first papers using Structured, Transparent, Accessible Reporting (STAR) Methods, which promotes guidelines encouraged by reagent labeling and animal experimentation initiatives, appear in Cell on August 25. The format will then be adopted by other Cell Press journals over the next year, starting with Cell Systems in the fall.
STAR Methods promotes rigor and robustness with an intuitive, consistent framework that integrates seamlessly into the scientific information flow-making reporting easier for the author and replication easier for the reader. The focal point is the 'Key Resources Table,' which offers an overview of the key reagents and resources (e.g., antibodies, animal models, or software) used to produce the results in the paper.
Furthermore, the presentation and narrative of the methods section will no longer vary from paper to paper; standardised headings will help researchers communicate what information is universally important. Such structuring helps authors to report key information that aligns with reporting guidelines advocated by the NIH Rigor and Reproducibility Initiative, the Resource Identification Initiative, and ARRIVE guidelines on animal experimentation.
STAR Methods is the first step in larger Cell Press and Elsevier initiatives on reproducibility aimed to help empower methods and meet the call for robust and rigorous reporting while accommodating the increasing diversity of how scientists do their work.
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