Rigor
We always back up our science with evidence and clearly state our uncertainties.
To conduct high-quality research and produce valuable scientific contributions to the field, we must approach our work with the highest standards of rigor. Our research must be: evidence-based, appropriate, precise, thorough, replicable, reproducible, ethical, transparent, inclusive, accessible, and equitable.
We apply our standards of scientific rigor in four main ways:
Rigorous experimental design
We conduct and support research that uses best practices established for each relevant discipline:
We test our assumptions.
We are detail-oriented to ensure accuracy.
We conduct due diligence by carefully evaluating decisions about our science before we proceed.
We apply quality controls to data and study design.
We carefully evaluate approaches so we can recommend those best suited to the questions being explored.
We identify the most appropriate methods and apply them correctly.
We use validated controls.
Our studies can be replicated.
We use statistics appropriately.
When possible, we pre-register our papers and establish a priori hypothesis.
Our research reviews are comprehensive.
Our meta-analyses and systematic reviews are conducted according to best practice.
Rigorous publication
We follow authorship guidelines, respect intellectual property, acknowledge contributions, and provide appropriate credit to maintain ethical publishing. We also:
Aim to publish externally and on our website, only after peer-review.
Aim to publish everything we produce in open source journals, or otherwise provide open source access ourselves.
Ensure we are transparent about our sources.
Reference accurately and appropriately, beyond self-referencing.
Follow the Center for Open Science TOP guidelines to ensure our research is as transparent as possible. We commit to making all of the sources, data, and methods for our research publications permanently accessible in a trusted repository.
Rigorous ethical standards and review
We enforce the “3Rs” (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) in lab and field experiments involving animals and ask our grantees to do the same:
We find and apply alternatives to methods that would cause animals discomfort.
We reduce sample sizes to the minimum viable for statistical significance so as to impact fewer individuals.
We refine studies to minimize impacts of methods — for example, using smaller radio transmitters to track animals’ movements.
We also conduct an ethical review of all methods we use or support. We ask ethics reviewers to identify any risks to animal subjects that might result from methods that go beyond IACUC. If animal discomfort cannot be avoided, it must be clearly justified.
Rigorous consultation
We consult relevant experts to inform our strategy, processes, grant-making, and research approach — especially in cases where we don’t have expertise ourselves.
Our reviewers and advisors offer expert perspectives and help us stay up-to-date with the latest science. They inform:
Our strategy, by carefully considered and regularly reviewed and updated to ensure we test our assumptions.
Our research priorities, by identifying and carefully analyzing research gaps and evaluating key questions.
Our grant-making and themes for our calls for proposals. We also follow a transparent and systematic proposal review process.