Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Bio-protocol was established in 2011 by a group of scientists at Stanford. It is an online peer-reviewed protocol journal (included in PubMed Central & Web of Science). Its mission is to make life science research more efficient and reproducible.
Bio-protocol is not just "another" protocol journal. We strive to revolutionize the way researchers communicate by providing a free and efficient platform for publishing and discussing highly detailed protocols. We have built collaborations with high-profile research journals/publishers such as Science/AAAS and eLife to help improve the rigor and reproducibility of life science research. So far, over 15,000 scientists have contributed to Bio-protocol as an author, editor or reviewer. Each year more than 1.5 million users from 130 countries/regions visit Bio-protocol and its sister sites.

• Read about our collaboration with eLife in 2017
  https://elifesciences.org/inside-elife/ab137ad4/working-with-bio-protocol-to-publish-peer-reviewed-protocols
• Read about our collaboration with Science/AAAS in 2019
  https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/aaft-alc081219.php

• "Request a Protocol" aims to improve the reproducibility and usability of a published work. It is a quick and easy way to request clarifying details and/or steps of a protocol directly from the authors. RaP was also created with the intention of saving authors' time by decreasing the need for them to reply to repeated email requests for details about the same protocol. We hope this feature can facilitate communications between readers and authors. We are collaborating with the Science family journals, eLife, MBoC, and others to launch and develop this feature.
• More detail about the “Request a detailed protocol” initiative can be found via the following links.
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/aaft-alc081219.php
  • https://elifesciences.org/inside-elife/c40ae742/elife-latest-request-detailed-protocols-easily-via-bio-protocol-integration

• Amplify Your Impact: Share your protocols to amplify their visibility and usability, aiding in broader scientific understanding. As your protocol will be posted as a preprint with a unique DOI, it's citable, enhancing your academic recognition.
• Enhance Reproducibility: Share your detailed protocols to bolster research reproducibility in the life sciences, thereby elevating the value and reach of your work.
• Simplify Sharing: Our automated process simplifies protocol sharing, eliminating the need for managing individual requests. Interested researchers are automatically notified once your protocol is available, saving you time.
• Ease Future Publications: Reuse your shared protocol in future publications, ensuring consistency in your research while saving time.
• Keep Your Protocol Alive: With our platform, you can continually revise your protocol, keeping it up-to-date and adaptable to your evolving research.

It is not the authors' responsibility address users' requests, particularly regarding basic methods. Our goal with the "Request a Protocol" initiative is to provide a valuable service to the community by promoting open communication between researchers and overall transparency. Additionally, we aim to save authors' time by eliminating the need to respond to repeated requests for the same method.

• Our vision is to have each method in a published research article linked to a detailed protocol published in Bio-protocol or elsewhere, which will make reproducing a published method easier. Therefore, it would be appreciated if you could kindly provide us with the information on where the methods have been published or update us once the protocol is published online.

• We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which became enforceable beginning May 25th, 2018. (https://gdpr-info.eu/)
• There is a line in the request form, "Your details will not be shared with the authors unless you opt-in to share them below." We will never share requesters’ personal information unless we obtain permission to do so. (e.g., https://en.bio-protocol.org/cjrap.aspx?eid=10.1126/scitranslmed.aay2574).
• We encourage requesters to share their information with authors, because experience has shown that authors are more likely to respond if they know a "real person" has made the request.

• We encourage requesters to point out which details of a protocol they would like the authors to clarify.
• Authors can contact reader directly by clicking the "Reply" button on the protocol submission page.

You can update your protocol whenever you wish. Please follow the instructions below to update your protocol.
Step 1: Log into your Bio-protocol account and go to My bio page.

Step 2: Click "My protocols" and then click the Edit icon.

Step 3: Go to the protocol page and click the "Update your protocol" button to update your protocol.

A protocol page for the preprint version of your protocol will automatically be created after you complete the submission process. If your research article is published in our partner journals, that webpage will link to your research article and will be accessible on the Bio-101 website, which is Bio-protocol's sister website. Our editors will pre-review the protocol and determine if it falls within the scope of Bio-protocol. If they determine that it is, we will invite you to publish the protocol in the Bio-protocol (it will first undergo peer review for clarity).

We guide our readers to cite both the protocol and the original research article where this protocol was used. View an example of an RAP protocol via the link, https://bio-protocol.org/prep878.