Science Image Integrity

Journals Screen Images

Kirsten — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:35:44 +0000

The Journal of Cell Biology was the first science journal to routinely screen submitted images. In 2001 the JCB began screening all images in papers accepted for publication and developed guidelines in its Instructions to Authors about appropriate and inappropriate manipulation of digital images. (See JCB guidelines on image presentation: http://jcb.rupress.org/misc/ifora.shtml. ) Since then, other journals have begun screening images (see below) and many others have adopted guidelines for handling images, often based on the JCB guidelines.

Science and Nature were spurred to adopt new guidelines and procedures after the 2006 revelations about image manipulation and/or falsification in the stem-cell research laboratory of Hwang Woo-Suk. (See Science investigation report: http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1128/1.)

Images as Science Data

Kirsten — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:35:39 +0000

Images as data in the sciences are not new, but the advent of digital images has resulted in an explosion of image data in many fields, Astronomy, Biomed, Chemistry and Biology and Environmental Sciences with remote sensing images. Many images require some processing and manipulation as preparation for publication, but the issues and guidelines are emergent at best or left up to the individual, often with little or no training to keep up with changes in technology and instrumentation. Who sets the standards, and who feels the impact? What is needed, and what resources exist?

This moderated blog is an invitation to participate it the discussion of what exists and what is needed in society journal standards and guidelines, and what questions need clarification across disciplines. We will develop individual pages to respond to topics which inspire active discussions. We ask that in light of the sensitive nature of the topic, participants honor the emergent nature of this arena and keep a respectful tone in their posts in order to facilitate open discussion. Moderators will remove posts that do not comply.

Why Blog About Scientific Images?

Kirsten — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:23:18 +0000

Digital images are an increasingly important source of primary data for scientific research. Where scientific images can form or support research data, standards for image manipulation are emerging in a growing number of fields and journals.

In a world of emerging standards, we are compiling resources, guidelines, and information on organizations involved in this arena and providing a forum for discussion.

Questions arise across disciplines about how to protect the integrity of images produced by research teams and how to store and manage the often huge data files that result. Journals ask how best to maintain the integrity of images submitted for publication, how to give readers the information they need about published images, even how to make published images available for examination by readers. Researchers ask how they can best present their data images to readers (fellow researchers) and how to examine each others’ data in image formats. Research institutions of all kinds ask how to create flexible research depositories for their researchers’ images data.

Thus, from the individual researcher to the science journal to the major research university, questions are everywhere about standards and guidelines for handling and maintaining the integrity of digital data images.

Timeline: Digital Image Integrity in Science

Kirsten — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:16:56 +0000

We have started an interactive timeline that describes important events in the history of digital-image data in the sciences. The timeline includes excerpts from authoritative sources, links to the sites that are referenced, and, in some cases, pdfs of articles. We welcome your contributions–for a short time, it will be open to additions and editing.

http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/Digital-Scientific–Image-Integrity