Basic Guidelines for Reporting Non-Clinical Data

Review
In: Assay Guidance Manual [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): Eli Lilly & Company and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; 2004.
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Excerpt

Reporting experimental and assay results can occur in many different settings, including informal laboratory meetings, technical reports, collaborative interactions, updates to management groups and presentations at professional conferences. In order to convey the intended message and make a lasting impact, the data presented must be clear to the observer or reader. Understanding key concepts and methods for reporting data is also critical to preserve scientific findings. This chapter describes some basic guidelines for reporting non-clinical data with an emphasis on standard elements of graphs and tables and the use of these tools to describe data most appropriately. Several fundamental statistical and numerical descriptions such as significant digits, replicates, error and correlations are also included, as they constitute an integral part of communicating results. These guidelines form the foundation for non-clinical data reporting mechanisms, such as laboratory notebooks and reports. While these guidelines are general in nature and may not be inclusive of the requirements for publication within specific journals, they should provide a solid basis for reporting non-clinical data, independent of the presentation venue.

Publication types

  • Review