Egon Willighⓐgen (@egonwillighagen):

Rule 1: If possible, reuse and extend existing models https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec002

This is what FAIR and #openscience are about: REUSE. Reuse is where open science starts, imo: you use open science from others and extend it. 1/ https://twitter.com/ELIXIREurope/status/1436219142055530500

When drawing biological process:

Rule 2: Determine the correct scope and level of detail for the pathway model https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec003 https://twitter.com/egonwillighagen/status/1436595349561430018/photo/1

Rule 3: Use standardized naming conventions and identifiers for molecular entities https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec004

Basically, make the drawing as FAIR as you can. Use identifiers, e.g. from @ensembl, @NCBI, @chebit, @lipidmaps, or many others

Rule 4: Use standardized interaction types https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec005

More about FAIR, but now about how bioentities interact. Inhibition? Metabolic conversion? Here, something we have been exploring is use of @complexportal identifier

@complexportal Rule 5: Provide literature references, provenance, and evidence for pathway content https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec006

Linked Open Data is the future. Usability includes Learnability, but scholarly communication is still very bad at this.

Egon Willighⓐgen (@egonwillighagen): @complexportal Rule 6: Annotate pathway models with a title, a description, and ontology terms

Similar to 5, but just wish a slightly different purpose. This is about the narrative. What do you want to say with the drawing? Because sometimes a picture does not say a 1000 words.

Egon Willighⓐgen (@egonwillighagen): @complexportal Rule 7: Increase readability with graphical annotations and intuitive layout https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec008

Put some effort on how you draw things. Because you have a lot of control of getting the reader to focus on your main message.

Rule 8: Consider data visualization when using colors in your pathway model https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec009

Digital pathways are meant to be reused: also for data analysis. Some simple steps help reuse them to visualize experimental data.

Rule 9: Communicate and disseminate your pathway model widely https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec010

Face-to-face conferences are no longer the only way to discuss your research with others. Twitter is an awesome place to have in depth scholarly discussions. Tweet your pathways! :)

Rule 10: Maintain your pathway model as an evolving resource https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226#sec011

For some, this one is controversial. Our "journal"-based system loves the "version of record": share once, never fix or update. We disagree :)

Read our full story here: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009226

HT to @EU_Commission, @ZonMw, and @NIH for funding that supported this domain specific FAIR guideline https://twitter.com/egonwillighagen/status/1436604397648220170/photo/1