A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process
Experimentation is fundamental to the scientific method, whether for exploration, description or explanation. We argue that promoting the reuse of virtual experiments (the in silico analogues of wet-lab or field experiments) would vastly improve the usefulness and relevance of computational models,...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Elsevier
2015
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| _version_ | 1797078142183014400 |
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| author | Cooper, J Vik, J Waltemath, D |
| author_facet | Cooper, J Vik, J Waltemath, D |
| author_sort | Cooper, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Experimentation is fundamental to the scientific method, whether for exploration, description or explanation. We argue that promoting the reuse of virtual experiments (the in silico analogues of wet-lab or field experiments) would vastly improve the usefulness and relevance of computational models, encouraging critical scrutiny of models and serving as a common language between modellers and experimentalists. We review the benefits of reusable virtual experiments: in specifying, assaying, and comparing the behavioural repertoires of models; as prerequisites for reproducible research; to guide model reuse and composition; and for quality assurance in the translational application of models. A key step towards achieving this is that models and experimental protocols should be represented separately, but annotated so as to facilitate the linking of models to experiments and data. Lastly, we outline how the rigorous, streamlined confrontation between experimental datasets and candidate models would enable a “continuous integration” of biological knowledge, transforming our approach to systems biology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:28:16Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:7ee0d8a8-ec14-4898-a085-9214610d674b |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:28:16Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:7ee0d8a8-ec14-4898-a085-9214610d674b2022-03-26T21:13:04ZA call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific processJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7ee0d8a8-ec14-4898-a085-9214610d674bSymplectic Elements at OxfordElsevier2015Cooper, JVik, JWaltemath, DExperimentation is fundamental to the scientific method, whether for exploration, description or explanation. We argue that promoting the reuse of virtual experiments (the in silico analogues of wet-lab or field experiments) would vastly improve the usefulness and relevance of computational models, encouraging critical scrutiny of models and serving as a common language between modellers and experimentalists. We review the benefits of reusable virtual experiments: in specifying, assaying, and comparing the behavioural repertoires of models; as prerequisites for reproducible research; to guide model reuse and composition; and for quality assurance in the translational application of models. A key step towards achieving this is that models and experimental protocols should be represented separately, but annotated so as to facilitate the linking of models to experiments and data. Lastly, we outline how the rigorous, streamlined confrontation between experimental datasets and candidate models would enable a “continuous integration” of biological knowledge, transforming our approach to systems biology. |
| spellingShingle | Cooper, J Vik, J Waltemath, D A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process |
| title | A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process |
| title_full | A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process |
| title_fullStr | A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process |
| title_full_unstemmed | A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process |
| title_short | A call for virtual experiments: accelerating the scientific process |
| title_sort | call for virtual experiments accelerating the scientific process |
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