Reporting animal research: Explanation and elaboration for the ARRIVE guidelines 2.0

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Research
• Laboratory Animal Science

Background:

• Reproducibility in biomedical research is a significant challenge.
• Transparent reporting is crucial for assessing research reliability and enabling replication.
• The original ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) were established in 2010 to standardize reporting for in vivo studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To revise and update the ARRIVE guidelines to improve their practical application.
• To provide a comprehensive explanation and elaboration document for the revised ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines.
• To offer guidance on best practices for the design and conduct of animal studies.

Main Methods:

• Revision of the original ARRIVE guidelines.
• Development of an accompanying explanation and elaboration document detailing each of the 21 items in ARRIVE 2.0.
• Inclusion of rationale, supporting evidence, reporting details, and examples of good reporting.

Main Results:

• The revised ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines have been published.
• The explanation and elaboration document offers in-depth information on each guideline item.
• Guidance on study design and conduct is provided to improve research standards from inception.

Conclusions:

• The updated ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines aim to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of in vivo animal research.
• The accompanying document serves as a practical resource for researchers and journals.
• Implementing these guidelines can lead to improved standards in animal research reporting and execution.