Editorials in 2016

Meta-analysis is common in clinical research, less so in basic biology, but it is also proving useful in some basic research contexts. It should help improve research reproducibility.

Reasoned, skeptical debate is the lifeblood of science. Its practitioners necessarily sit at the same table with others who disagree with them. This cannot be said of political discourse in America today.

Nature Methods now requires data availability statements to be supplied with research papers.

We take the opportunity to remind our readers of the materials sharing policy at Nature Methods.

Managing the growth in biomedical data requires coordinated strategies and a strong financial commitment by funders and institutions.

The scientific community benefits from infrastructure that facilitates the dissemination of cutting-edge methods.

With federal funding for life science becoming increasingly competitive in the United States, it would be a mistake, particularly for young investigators, not to carefully consider money from private sources.

Research on human embryos depends on precious samples that are inherently variable. Rigorous methods reporting should be the goal of published papers in the field.

New archives for raw X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM data will accelerate progress in structural biology.

We remind our readers about our policies on the use of preprints: in short, we support them. A Nature Methods author can post a preprint prior to submission without fearing a penalty.

Scientific disagreement prompts a closer look at data and can promote unexpected insights.

To determine the true pathogenicity of genetic variants, data sharing is essential.