NINDS Office of Research Quality

NINDS Office of Research Quality

Experimental and analytical rigor, measures to reduce bias, and transparency of reporting are the foundations for quality scientific research. Attention to principles of good study design and transparent reporting are essential to enable the scientific community as well as the community at large to assess the value of scientific findings. This is also important for peer reviewers to properly advise NINDS on grant applications. Recently NINDS and NIH have been promoting efforts to improve transparency in scientific reporting, including the formation of the NINDS Office of Research Quality.

Rigor Champions and Resources

NINDS held a workshop on how better to instill the principles of rigorous research in October 2018 that brought together subject matter experts capable of evaluating current educational practices. In light of this meeting, NINDS now calls for interested members of the scientific community to identify themselves as champions for scientific rigor. Please visit the new Rigor Champions and Resources page for more information.

NINDS Presentations about Rigor and Transparency

When Rigor Goes Wrong

On March 16, 2018, Dr. Shai Silberberg from NINDS discussed some of the major rigor and transparency issues in biomedical research at a workshop for NINDS R25 grant recipients and trainees.

NINDS Historical Perspective on Research Rigor

Dr. Shai Silberberg from NINDS presented a historical perspective of NINDS's involvement in the NIH rigor and transparency efforts as of September 2015. This 15-minute presentation was part of a larger NIH workshop on Reproducibility in Cell Culture Studies.

 

Publications


NIH Blog Posts

Resources and Tools

NIH Rigor and Reproducibility
NIH Applicant Guidelines
NINDS Applicant Guidelines (pdf, 35 kb)
NIH Reviewer Guidelines (pdf, 213 kb)
Experimental Design Tools and NIH Grant Examples
Training
NIH-Curated Training Modules and Online Course
NIH Office of Extramural Research Training and Resources