Methods for applying blinding and randomisation in animal experiments

Abstract

Blinding and randomisation are important methods for increasing the robustness of pre-clinical studies, as incomplete or improper implementation thereof is recognised as a source of bias. Randomisation ensures that any known and unknown covariates introducing bias are randomly distributed over the experimental groups. Thereby, differences between the experimental groups that might otherwise have contributed to false positive or -negative results are diminished. Methods for randomisation range from simple randomisation (e.g. rolling a dice) to advanced randomisation strategies involving the use of specialised software. Blinding on the other hand ensures that researchers are unaware of group allocation during the preparation, execution and acquisition and/or the analysis of the data. This minimises the risk of unintentional influences resulting in bias. Methods for blinding require strong protocols and a team approach. In this review, we outline methods for randomisation and blinding and give practical tips on how to implement them, with a focus on animal studies.