The CODATA Biologists’ Guide for Presentation of Numerical Data

Abstract

A CODATA (Committee on Data for Science and Technology) Task Group representing 10 different fields of biology has just prepared the final draft of a “Biologists’ Guide for the Presentation of Numerical Data in the Primary Literature.” It borrows much from the “Guide for the Presentation in the Primary Literature of Numerical Data Derived from Experiments,” but its recommendations are adapted for application to most of the biosciences. The general recommendations of the “Biologists’ Guide” are intended to facilitate the use, evaluation, and comparison of data. They cover the description of experiments and observational procedures, the treatment of data derived from them, and presentation of the final numerical results. In terms appropriate to the biosciences, the important aspects of numerical data presentation related to preserving the data and promoting the usefulness of the quantitative results of scientific research are set forth.