Microscopy methods reporting
Accurate reporting of methods used in research is essential to ensure reproducibility.
CAMDU are committed to high quality methods reporting of microscopy experiments and are eager to help CAMDU users achieve this aim. This help can include: providing required microscope details, assistance in drafting accurate methods, proofreading pre-submission papers.
We recommend the following minimum checklist collated from Lee et al (2018) and Marques et al (2020). For a more thorough checklist please see Montano Llopis et al (2021).
Checklist for light microscopy methods reporting
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Microscope (Make, Model)
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Inverted or upright
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Objective: manufacturer, magnification, numerical aperture, immersion, correction (if any)
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Light source(s)
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Filters, dichroic mirrors, beam splitters
- Any additional magnification e.g. optovar, point-scanning zoom.
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Additional hardware used, e.g., stage motor, incubation chamber and set-up, Piezo stage or objective
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Acquisition software and settings:
- Software version
- Exposure time
- Voxel size
- Frame/volume interval (time-lapse only)
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Confocal, Multiphoton systems:
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Detector type (PMT, NDD, etc.)
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Laser line(s) used
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Pixel resolution
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PMT gain
- Pixel dwell time
- Confocal aperture (if used)
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Widefield systems (with cameras):
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Camera manufacturer, model
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Note if binning, gain was used
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Separate, detailed transfection and antibody staining protocols, including constructs used, antibody manufacturer(s) and concentrations
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For multi-channel acquisitions, note whether channels were acquired simultaneously or sequentially
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Strategy for selecting regions of interest (if any)
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Image processing steps (if any)
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Data analysis pipeline, including statistical methods (if any)
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Software used to make figures, including processing steps, if any (inversion, brightness & contrast, maximum intensity projection, etc.)
Microscopes with online information: