Rigorous Researcher: Conducts research at the highest levels of rigor and transparency within their field of expertise, possesses strong statistical analysis skills, and designs research projects to maximize reproducibility.

Increasing rigor and reproducibility in biomedical and clinical research has been a focal point since the publication of groundbreaking studies demonstrating the irreproducibility of seminal basic and preclinical research papers.(6,7) The requirement for proper experimental design, statistical analysis, and methodological transparency is not new nor unique to translational science; however, it is especially critical to translation wherein discoveries must be sufficiently robust to function in different contexts practiced by researchers with differing expertise. Whether it be running counter-screens and orthogonal assays to validate a hit from a high throughput screen, sufficiently powering a clinical study by recruiting enough participants to generate a meaningful outcome, or employing the appropriate statistical analyses when interpreting patient reported outcomes, a lack of scientific rigor can result in wasted time and money, at best, and patient harm, at worst. Therefore, translational scientists must ensure they possess the proper knowledge and training in quantitative and qualitative experimental design and data analysis, conduct research at the highest levels of rigor and transparency, and take all means necessary to maximize the robustness and reproducibility of their work.

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