Harmonizing ecotoxicological data reporting: A guide for toxicologists and chemists.

Area of Science:

• Ecotoxicology
• Environmental Risk Assessment
• Scientific Data Management

Background:

• Reproducibility and data reuse are critical in scientific research, especially in ecotoxicology.
• Exposure experiments in environmental risk assessment are vital but costly and time-consuming.
• Suboptimal reporting practices impede the effective re-use of valuable ecotoxicological data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight insufficient reporting in ecotoxicology using publication examples.
• To provide solutions for improving data and metadata reporting.
• To analyze reporting practices for nanomaterials, neonicotinoids, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of published data and metadata.
• Focus on how data/metadata is reported, not just what variables are included.
• Examination of studies involving nanomaterials, neonicotinoids, and PFAS.

Main Results:

• Insufficient reporting is a significant issue across ecotoxicological literature.
• Poorly described methodologies and inconsistent units are common problems.
• Analysis reveals extent of data reporting issues for specific chemical classes.

Conclusions:

• Improving data and metadata reporting is essential for enhancing reproducibility.
• Standardized reporting practices will facilitate secondary scientific and regulatory use of ecotoxicological data.
• Addressing reporting gaps is crucial for reliable environmental risk assessment.