Biologists say more experiments should be reproduced

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology has issued a report to help researchers ensure their work can be reproduced.

To scientists, a study that can be reproduced means it was well-designed and its results are valid. But over the last few years researchers in fields such as biology and psychology have increasingly been concerned that the work being done does not meet those standards. In support of this, a 2011 survey of biomedical literature found only about 20 percent of published research could be reproduced.

FASEB’s report Enhancing Research Reproducibility comes out of a series of discussions among prominent researchers that the group hosted over the course of 2015.