Editorials in 2014

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy can image living samples in three dimensions with relatively low phototoxicity and at high speed.

The 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded in recognition of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. To fully realize the tremendous promise of these methods for biological discovery, there are still challenges to be overcome.

For innovations in basic science to continue at the pace of previous decades, a solid funding strategy is needed.

The decade since the launch of Nature Methods has been one of intense and dynamic development in biological research methods. We predict this will continue.

We announce a change in leadership at Nature Methods and wish Daniel Evanko, our departing chief editor and the new head of editorial services at Nature Publishing Group, every success.

A clear idea of the performance—the strengths but also the limits—of biological research methods is critical for generating reliable data that others are able to reproduce.

There are many barriers to the uptake of new methods in biological research. When methods cross disciplines, these can rise even higher.

Community-run bioinformatics challenges not only assess the state of the art but can help advance it.

The Protein Structure Initiative will end next year; the aftershocks of this ending should be minimized for the benefit of the broader biology research community.

Realizing the ambitious goals of synthetic biology requires continued efforts in characterizing the foundations.

Nature Methods is dedicated to publishing methodological developments for basic biological research. Yet many papers that we receive, and some that we publish, also have later-stage applications. Where do we draw the line of editorial scope?

The usefulness of computational methods can be improved by releasing code and designing software that supports reproducible research.

Bar charts are too frequently used to communicate data that they cannot represent well. We strongly encourage the use of more appropriate plots to display statistical samples.