Preregistration of Preclinical Animal Studies as a Tool for Refinement: A Feasibility Study Comparing the German Animal Study Registry and Preclinicaltrials.eu.

Lena Kistermann, Maja Strunk, Ivonne Jeanette Knorr, Steven R Talbot, Lisa Ernst, René H Tolba

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lena KistermannInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science and Experimental Surgery, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0009-0009-0565-8753

Maja StrunkInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science and Experimental Surgery, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0009-0004-5531-4557

Ivonne Jeanette KnorrInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science and Experimental Surgery, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8333-3200

Steven R TalbotInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.

Lisa ErnstInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science and Experimental Surgery, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3808-4222

René H TolbaInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science and Experimental Surgery, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Preregistration of animal studies is increasingly promoted as a methodological Refinement that can reduce bias, prevent unnecessary duplication and ultimately benefit animal welfare. Despite dedicated open registries (i.e., the Animal Study Registry of the German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (ASR) and preclinicaltrials.eu (PCT)), uptake remains low. The perceived time burden and limited awareness are the most frequently mentioned barriers, although these registries have been available since 2018 and 2019. In this feasibility study, eleven researchers (Beginners

Indexed as

3Rlaboratory animal scienceopen sciencepreclinical animal researchpreregistrationreductionrefinementreproducibility

Identifiers

PMID42511103

DOI10.3390/ani16142226

PMCPMC13405880

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.