The ARRIVE Reporting Guidelines

The Chief Editors of the Journal of Neurochemistry applaud the recent publication in PLoS Biology (Kilkenny et al. - please see www.nc3rs.org.uk/ARRIVE) of guidelines intended to improve bioscience research reporting.
A continuing disappointment for basic science is the failure to translate more of its promise into the clinic and there is no doubt that we shall continue to argue about the relevance of specific animal models to the human condition. However, to ensure the highest study quality, one thing we can do as authors, reviewers and journal editors, is to ensure that the reporting of basic science research is transparent, accurate, comprehensive and complete. In a 2009 publication in PLoS One these same authors reminded us, based upon a survey of the quality of randomly selected published articles, that there is significant room for improvement in the design and communication of experimental studies. The resulting ARRIVE guidelines are timely and a vital aide-memoire for us all. Even though these refer to animal experiments, most of the elements in the guidelines are relevant to all forms of research communication.