Publication Alert (19 March): Reliability is Key — For Histologists and for Every Scientist
I’m excited to share that our latest article is now online:
Inter-rater reliability of stress signatures in exfoliated primary dentition – Improving scientific rigor and reproducibility in histological data collection
🔗 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0318700
In this study, we tackle a critical but often overlooked issue in dental histology: how reliably different observers identify stress-related enamel markings, known as Accentuated Lines (ALs). These lines can reflect episodes of physiological or psychological stress during tooth development, making them a valuable retrospective biomarker in archaeological and clinical contexts.
However, previous studies have shown poor standardization and low inter-rater reliability, especially when it comes to rating AL intensity. We set out to quantify this by comparing assessments of AL presence and intensity across eight raters with different levels of experience, using 15 exfoliated primary teeth. Surprisingly, more experience didn’t always translate into better consistency. The best results came from collaborative scoring, where pairs of raters reached consensus through discussion. To support improved rigor across the field, we propose a new workflow: IRRISS (Improving Reliability and Reporting In Scoring of Stress-markers)—a simple but effective protocol to increase reproducibility in future research. This work is especially timely given the growing interest in enamel biomarkers across anthropology, epidemiology, forensic science, and even climate research. We’re proud to contribute to the growing push for transparency and reproducibility in histological methods.
Big thanks to the entire team for this collaborative effort—and here’s to doing more science that’s not only interesting, but also reliable.
