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 30^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.

Process of Best Practice Development and Endorsement:

The following documents describe the means by which neuroimaging-related best practice recommendations are defined by the OHBM, how they may be solicited or proposed, ratified, and communicated (the process). New ideas take the development route, and if you have an existing product for submission, please check the criteria for submission for endorsement:

• OHBM Best Practices Development
• OHBM Best Practice Endorsement

Through a process for rigorously developing, documenting, and disseminating best practices 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.  

OHBM-Endorsed Best Practice Resources:

COBIDAS MRI: Committee on Best Practices in Data Analysis and Sharing. Tom Nichols, Oxford University
Status - Endorsed

COBIDAS MEEG: Magneto- and Electro-Encephalography. Aina Puce, Indiana University; Cyril Pernet, University of Edinburgh
Status - Endorsed

WHATnet: Best Practices on Large-Scale Brain Network Nomenclature. Lucina Uddin, University of Miami
Status - Endorsed

COBIDAS clinical fMRI Language: COBIDAS Clinical fMRI for Language Mapping. Natalie Voets et al. (2024)
Status - Endorsed

MRS Consensus Guidelines: Paul Mullins & Alexander Lin
Status - Endorsed

Currently Open OHBM Endorsement Projects:

QC-fMRI: Quality Control in fMRI. Paul Taylor
Status - Pending

BIDS: Brain Imaging Data Structure. Ariel Rokem
Status - Pending

Propose a New Area for Best Practices Recommendations for Development:

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, advancing methods development, etc, please consider proposing it to the OHBM Best Practices Committee. A newly developed set of best practices will be encouraged to be summarized in the peer-reviewed literature as well as appear in OHBM’s Journal, Aperture Neuro.

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 it.

Best Practices Committee