Protocol Best Practices
What makes a successful protocol?
Well, one that others easily understand, of course!
The following tips will help ensure other investigators can understand your protocol:
- Give step-by-step instructions to avoid lengthy blurbs of text.
- Break methods into easy-to-follow sections and introduce relevant headings.
- For experimental procedures requiring multiple protocols, create separate protocols and combine them into a collection.
- These separate protocols can then be reused to support other datasets.
- Indicate the chronology of steps and methods.
- Emphasize the key steps created in the protocol.
- Add applicable warnings, tips, and safety information.
- Provide additional links to manuscripts when applicable.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. Add photos, graphics, and movies when possible.
Why SPARC recommends the Protocols.io platform:
- It allows collaborative development of protocols
- It promotes consistency of protocols
- Protocols are stored in the industry standard archive and backed up just like manuscripts
- It is easy to cite protocols (DOI is easily available, and versions are used)
- Protocols can be referenced in manuscripts (in Materials and Methods and/or References)
- And the best part – it’s free to you, and you can use your protocols beyond SPARC!
Do I need to submit a protocol for commonly used methods?
If commonly used methods were employed, a DOI or a link to an open-source publication can be provided. However, if the method was modified, a new protocol must be submitted.
Can I use the methods section in my published manuscript as a protocol?
No, materials and methods sections from published manuscripts or IRB applications cannot be accepted.
Other acceptable protocol sources
Although we recommend Protocols.io, we will also accept protocols published in the following journals:
Updated 1 day ago