Gene name errors are widespread in the scientific literature

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Microsoft Excel's default settings can automatically convert gene names into dates or numerical formats.
• This automatic conversion poses a significant risk for data integrity in biological research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the frequency of erroneous gene name conversions in supplementary data from genomics publications.
• To highlight the impact of spreadsheet software settings on biological data accuracy.

Main Methods:

• A programmatic analysis was conducted on supplementary gene lists from leading genomics journals.
• The study specifically identified instances where gene names were converted to non-standard formats.

Main Results:

• Approximately one-fifth (20%) of the analyzed papers contained gene lists with incorrect conversions.
• Common errors included the conversion of gene symbols to dates and floating-point numbers.

Conclusions:

• The default behavior of Microsoft Excel presents a widespread problem in genomics research.
• Researchers and journals should implement stricter data submission guidelines to prevent gene name conversion errors.