Abstract
With regards to new insights, the scientific community has to rely on transparent and accurate reporting of design, conduct and outcomes of studies in order to allow readers, peer reviewers and editors an assessment of methodology and relevance. In animal experimentation, it was found that, to a disturbing extent, vital information such as the method of randomization and blinding is not or inadequately disclosed in publications. To make matters worse, a sizable number of animal studies is not reported at all, leading to an overstatement of intervention effects, unnecessary repetitions and premature clinical studies.
Both factors contribute to translational problems where clinical trials do not reflect the results of preclinical findings and seriously impede therapy development. In addition, unnecessary in vivo studies present a considerable animal welfare issue. In 2010, two sets of guidelines were published with the aim of improving on project design and reporting, making meta-analyses and systematic reviews more feasible and reducing animal use: the Gold Standard Publication Checklist (GSPC) and the Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines. This mini-review focuses on the ARRIVE-Guidelines.