Best Practices

The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), represents the neuroscientific, neurological, methodological, and educational interests of thousands of researchers worldwide - those who utilize advanced medical imaging and electrophysiological technologies to examine brain form, function, and connectivity.  This community, with its focus on the development and application of specialized methodologies for data acquisition, processing, interpretation, and visualization, depends heavily upon the collective knowledge of its experts. 

As OHBM gains momentum as a Society through a carefully created strategic plan, recently celebrating its 25^th Anniversary, and looks forward to future success, it seeks to enact a formalized process to encapsulate, encode, and express “best practice” recommendations for our field.  Such “best practices” have so far been mostly put forward in an ad-hoc manner. OHBM seeks to formalize this process with the aim of clarifying a consensus on what works best.

The following documents describe the means by which neuroimaging-related best practices recommendations are defined by the OHBM, how they may be solicited or proposed, ratified, and communicated.

• OHBM Best Practices Development Policy Document
• OHBM Endorsement Policy Document

Through a process for rigorously developing, documenting, and disseminating best practice across the domains of human neuroimaging research, OHBM aims to promote science literacy, transparency, and reproducibility.  Thus, the aim is that the quality of research from OHBM members is elevated to further establish a culture of neuroscientific excellence over the next 25 years and beyond.  

Existing OHBM-Endorsed Best Practices:
Committee on Best Practices in Data Analysis and Sharing (COBIDAS)                
Thomas Nichols, PhD - Chair
Oxford University

Magneto- and Electro-Encephalogaphy (MEEG)                       
Aina Puce, PhD - Co.Chair                                               Cyril Pernet, PhD - Co.Chair
Indiana University                                University of Edinburgh

Best Practices on Large-Scale Brain Network Nomenclature (BPLBNN)  
Lucina Uddin, PhD - Chair
University of Miami

Propose a New Set of Best Practices Recommendations
As a member of OHBM, if you see an opportunity where a set of best practices would be useful for serving the community, helping to improve the reporting of results, advance methods development, etc, please consider proposing it to the OHBM Best Practices Committee.  Newly developed set of best practices will be encouraged to be summarized in the peer-reviewed literature as well as appear in OHBM’s Aperture Journal.

If you are aware of an existing standard or best practice, developed by another organization or entity, which might be one worthy of endorsement by the OHBM, we welcome you to recommend them.

Best Practices Committee