Reporting In Vitro Experiments Responsibly – the RIVER Recommendations

Publications reporting in vitro experiments often lack basic details that prevent readers from repeating the experiments described or assessing whether the results are reliable. This prevents the experiments adding to the knowledge base and can lead to unnecessary subsequent studies. To address this, an international working group has been convened to develop reporting standards, drawing from its expertise in research funding and publishing, methodology and statistics, and research in academic, regulatory and industry settings. Here we present RIVER (Reporting In Vitro Experiments Responsibly), a set of six recommendations specifically tailored to reporting in vitro studies such that manuscripts describe the minimum information necessary for a reader to assess the methodological rigour and reliability of the study.