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Rigor and Reproducibility

Training in methods to enhance rigor, transparency and reproducibility in research is an integral part of training grant-funded programs at Northwestern. The resources on this page provide additional support in a wide variety of areas related to rigor and reproducibility in scientific research.

Internal Resources

  • Research Integrity at Northwestern
    The Office of Research Integrity at Northwestern provides a list of resources for research-related Principal Investigators (PIs), research teams, and research administration staff.
  • Biostatistics Collaboration Center
    Since being established in 2004, the Biostatistics Collaboration Center has contributed their expertise in biostatistical science, programming and data management to the high-quality, innovative medical research done by Northwestern investigators that ultimately results in funded grants, peer-reviewed publications and presentations at professional meetings. Services offered include study design and planning, results interpretation, and a free lecture series with topics on biostatistics in medical research.
  • Good Clinical Practice Training at Northwestern
    Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is an international, ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, recording and reporting trials that involve the participation of human subjects. Compliance with this standard provides public assurance that the rights, safety and well-being of trial subjects are protected. Through NUCATS, the Feinberg School of Medicine offers several courses in GCP.
  • Women’s Health Research Institute Sex-Inclusion Toolbox
    The Women's Health Research Institute (WHRI) has developed a number of resources for clinicians, researchers, students, patients, and community members interested in sex-based differences in research and health care including the Sex-Inclusion Toolbox.
  • NU Data Science Workshops
    NUIT offers in-person classes on data science programming such as R, Python, SQL and others. Advanced registration is required, and you must bring your own laptop. See NUIT Data Science Workshops.
  • NU Libraries Data Management Resources
    NU Libraries provides an extensive guide to assist researchers in data management resources for data management plans, metadata, data management training, and federal funding agency requirements. See Data Management Resources.
  • NU Galter Health Sciences Library DataLab
    NU Galter Health Sciences Library on the Chicago campus provides consultation and training for all stages of the research data life cycle through DataLab on topics such as collection & management, cleaning & organization, visualization and preservation. DataLab also provides resources for specialized internal and external resources.
  • NU Galter Health Sciences Library Best Practices in Data Management Workshop
    NU Galter Health Sciences Library on the Chicago campus offers this one-hour workshop which is an introduction to basic concepts in research data management including University retention requirements, data management plan requirements, data documentation, file naming conventions, metadata, and sharing research data. See Galter Best Practices Workshop.

External Resources

  • Columbia University ReaDI Program
    The Columbia University Research and Data Integrity (ReaDI) program is designed to enhance data management and research integrity and provides resources for the research lifecycle and by discipline and encourages the dissemination of these resources at other institutions.
  • Columbia University Rigor & Reproducibility Resources
    Columbia University has collected resources on this website to aid researchers meet Rigor and Reproducibility requirements from NIH as well as provide tools to researchers to ensure research is verifiable and reproducible. See Columbia University Rigor & Reproducibility Resources.
  • Cornell University Research Integrity Website
    Cornell University’s website on Research Integrity contains several resources applicable to Rigor and Reproducibility, such as case studies and discussion materials, helpful articles, and NIH guidelines. See Cornell Research Integrity Website.
  • Harvard Biomedical Data Management Website
    Harvard's Biomedical Data Management Website contains a wealth on information on best practices and support services for research data lifecycles, including online Powerpoint presentations, tips for reproducibility, and information on data management plans and electronic lab notebooks.
  • Nature.com - How to Grow a Healthy Lab Collection
    In this special collection of articles, Nature explores how the working environment shapes research quality and morale -- and what can be done to strengthen the research enterprise. From their survey of more than 3,000 researchers to first-hand experiences of how to nurture and improve research culture, they unpack the issues that can derail a lab and that can help make it the best place to work.
  • Nature.com - Statistics for Biologists Collection
    Since 2013, Nature Methods has been publishing a monthly column on statistics called "Points of Significance." This column is intended to provide researchers in biology with a basic introduction to core statistical concepts and methods, including experimental design. This collection highlights important statistical issues that biologists should be aware of and provides practical advice to help them improve the rigor of their work.
  • NIH Clearinghouse for Training Modules to Enhance Reproducibility
    This website contains links to several training modules focused on data reproducibility such as Sex as a Biological Variable, Controls in Animal Studies, and Cell Line Authentication, among many others.
  • NIH R&R Training Modules
    The NIH has developed four video modules with accompanying discussion materials that focus on integral components of reproducibility and rigor in the research endeavor, such as bias, blinding, and exclusion criteria. These videos are not comprehensive training modules. Rather, they are meant to serve as a foundation upon which to build further education, training, and discussion for your program.
  • NIH Sex and Gender Online Course Series
    The NIH Office of Research on Women's Health offers a series of three courses designed to create a permanent foundation for sex and gender accountability in medical research and treatment by enabling researchers, clinicians, and students in the health professions to integrate knowledge of sex and gender differences and similarities into their research and practice.
  • Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Article
    Santa Clara's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics has published an article titled "A Framework for Ethical Decision-Making," which is meant to be an introduction to thinking ethically. The website also has many other resources on ethics training.
  • Stanford Center for Reproducible Neuroscience
    Stanford's Center for Reproducible Neuroscience website provides neuroimaging tools, data-sharing platforms and other resources to provide researchers with a way to transparently share their analysis workflows.
  • Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Reproducibility of Scientific Results
    Stanford's Encyclopedia of Philosophy contains a four-part comprehensive description of Reproducibility of Scientific Results, as well as other reproducibility resources. The four parts include reproducing scientific results, meta-science, epistemological issues, and open science reforms.
  • Stanford Meta-Research Innovation Center
    The Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS) is a research-to-action center focused on transforming research practices to improve the quality of scientific studies in biomedicine and beyond. METRICS, fosters multi-disciplinary research collaborations to help produce solutions that increase the effectiveness and value of scientific investigation. The “Resources” and “Related Sites” tabs contain helpful information for evaluating experimental rigor and reproducibility.
  • University of Michigan Rigor and Reproducibility Resources
    The University of Michigan has compiled resources on Rigor & Reproducibility including NIH guidelines, a presentation and various articles.
  • U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity
    The U.S. Department of Public Health’s Office of Research Integrity has many resources on Research Misconduct and Responsible Conduct of Research which may be helpful in meeting Rigor & Reproducibility requirements.