Equine Assay Registry

The Equine Assay Registry is a collaborative database of assays that have been tested successfully and unsuccessfully for use in equids. The aim is to improve transparency, reproducibility, and efficiency in equine research by reducing duplicated effort.

1. Purpose

Relatively few assays are developed specifically for equine applications, and research in horses often relies on assays designed for other species. Due to variable cross-species homology, identifying assays that perform reliably in equids can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. We propose to build a free, open, and collaborative repository of assay validation data to facilitate equine research. Users can search for assays and their validation outcomes in equids as well as submit validation data.

2. Contributing and Sharing Validation Data

2.1. Types of contributions

• Original validation data: Information about an assay that has not been published before can be submitted using the submission form. Only authors may contribute original validation data. The contribution will be assigned a citable DOI.
• Published validation data: An entry submitted using the submission form can be linked to published works. This is comparable to registering a publication into the database, not to claiming authorship. Contributors are therefore not required to be the authors of the original work. This type of contribution will not be assigned a DOI.
• Additions to existing entries: Additional data may be added for an assay that is already present in the database. Search results include all accepted entries for each assay. Corrections to previous submissions can be made by contributors and authors by contacting us via email or submitting an issue or pull request for the submission data on GitHub.

2.2. Attribution

• Authors are those who originally validated the assay. Authors may submit their data to the repository as contributors and the entry will be assigned a citable DOI if the work has not been previously published.
• Contributors are individuals who submit data to the registry. Anyone may contribute published works to the repository, but these contributions will not be attributed a DOI.

2.3. Licensing

• All submitted data are shared under a CC-BY 4.0 license
• By submitting content, contributors agree to this license
• Contributors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions comply with any applicable licenses from original sources (e.g., published validation studies)

2.4. Transparency and Review Process

• The submission process is fully open. All contributions are visible on GitHub.
• The identity of contributors will be verified via email.
• The following aspects will be given specific attention during review:
• Does the assay fall in the scope of the registry (validation for equine matrix)?
• Is there sufficient data to support the validation outcome? We strongly encourage submission of the raw data in a format allowing independent and reproducible interpretation as additional files.
• Is the validation outcome interpretation (sucessfull, unsucessful) plausible? Please use the additional information field to justify your conclusion.
• We adhere to the following policies:
• Authorship: We adhere to the definition of authorship provided by ICMJE.
• Research ethics: Submissions are based on research involving animals by definition. We require contributors and authors to follow to national and international laws and guidelines for research conducted in animals. Approval by IACUC committees or equivalent must be disclosed in the submission form.
• Plagiarism and duplicate publications: Submission of previously published validation data ("Link to published validation data" in the submission form) is encouraged. Submission of previously published validation data as "Original validation data" is not acceptable as it would constitute a duplicate publication as defined by COPE.
• Competing interest: Authors and contributors must disclose any conflict of interest during the submission process. This includes financial or professional interests related to a submitted assay.
• Peer review: The review process is unblinded. The original submission and subsequent changes can be found on GitHub. Correspondance with contributors will remain confidential. We adhere to the COPE Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers.
• Additional information may be requested from contributors by the reviewer.
• Submissions may be modified by the reviewer during review. The changes will be validated by the contributor before acceptance.
• A justification will be provided on GitHub and to the contributor for rejected submissions.

3. Scope and Limitations

• The registry focuses on assays evaluated in equine samples
• Validation quality and completeness depend on submitted data
• Inclusion in the registry does not constitute endorsement of assay validity or performance

4. Backend and Technical Framework

This project is designed to be extensible and adaptable to other domains. The codebase is available under the AGPL-3.0 license. Read more about it on GitHub.