Biological Materials, Specimens and Images

Authors must identify biological materials accurately and have the right to collect, use, transfer and publish information about them.

Organisms and materials

Report species names, strains, cell lines, voucher specimens, repository identifiers and material sources where relevant. Cell-line identity and contamination checks should be described.

Permits and access

State collection, access-and-benefit-sharing, import, export, quarantine and protected-species permissions when applicable. Traditional knowledge and genetic resources must be handled according to relevant agreements and law.

Image integrity

Adjustments must be applied consistently and must not create, remove or obscure relevant features. Splicing, composites, contrast changes and representative images must be explained. Raw image data may be requested during review.