What types of checks for correctness are performed on the models present in BioModels Database, and who performs them?
Before being made available through BioModels Database, a model is thoroughly verified, using some automated methods, by a distributed team of curators belonging to the partners of the BioModels DB effort. The following checks are performed: • The syntax of the SBML file is verified. This implies a set of correct hierarchy of SBML elements and attributes, a consistent use of identifiers, but also a deeper verification of the consistency of the model (e.g. a parameter controlled by a rule cannot be declared constant). • The correspondance between the encoded model and the model described in the published article is checked. This implies verification of the structure of the reaction network, the formalisms used, the values of the parameters, the amounts and the units. • Finally the model is simulated to see if the published results can be reproduced. Examples of simulators used by curators are CellDesigner, COPASI, Jarnac, MathSBML, XPP-Aut, SBMLODESolver,RoadRunner.
