How should the protocol form be modified to reflect the literature search?
Every institution or IACUC develops its own protocol form so there is no universal standard or template. Some institutions do, however, contain a section which asks the investigator to describe efforts to determine if alternatives are available. At a minimum, the investigator must provide the search strategy or keywords used and list the databases searched. Some IACUCs ask investigators to attach a copy of the search while others suggest the investigator keep it on file for future reference. 4. Since many of our facility’s records can be accessed by the public, won’t inclusion of literature searches open us up to additional public scrutiny — such as why wasn’t this database searched or those keywords used? The literature search provides a good faith effort on the part of the researcher and reflects well for the facility. Alternatives may be found that can lead to adoption of experimental methods that are less painful, use fewer animals, and make better scientific and economic sense. I
