Structured Methods for reproducible science

Detailed and accurate documentation of the reagents, tools and methods used in a study is key for reproducible science. However, the information provided in the Materials and Methods section is not always sufficiently detailed to allow for the adoption of methodologies across laboratories. Substantial time and effort, as well as extensive correspondence with the authors of a published paper, is often required in order to obtain all the relevant information related to a particular technique. Even after following a trail of references that frequently lead to a paper published decades ago, it is sometimes impossible to find a sufficiently detailed description of a technique “performed as described before”.