JoVE x BrRN: A Shared Mission for Science Reproducibility

Founded in 2023, BrRN is a national initiative to make science in Brazil more reliable and transparent. It connects researchers, institutions, and policymakers around a shared goal: embedding rigorous and collaborative practices into everyday research. 

Aligning with Brazil’s broader commitments to open science,¹ BrRN supports the adoption of reproducible practices through training, resources, and advocacy at institutional and governmental levels. 

Specifically, BrRN’s current activities include adapting the UK Reproducibility Network’s reproducibility “primers” for the Brazilian context, preparing an open online course on reproducible science (expected to launch in 2026), and engaging with international networks to strengthen training and development across the Global South.

A large multicenter project in Brazil recently attempted to replicate a set of 56 biomedical experiments carried out in local labs.² Fewer than half of the studies reproduced the original results, highlighting how communication gaps and inconsistent reporting can undermine research credibility. For example, small differences in how cell cultures were handled or how reagents were prepared often explained why replication failed. 

These findings show that reproducibility issues are not just theoretical; they directly affect the credibility of published results and the efficiency of research investments. This context makes the work of the Brazilian Reproducibility Network (BrRN) especially urgent.

As BrRN works to strengthen research culture in Brazil and beyond, JoVE adds a practical piece to the puzzle: video. This helps overcome one of the biggest barriers to reproducibility, namely the limitations of text.

Reproducibility often fails because written methods cannot capture every detail. A slight nuance in technique, the way equipment is positioned, or the pace of adding a reagent can mean the difference between success and failure. 

“Sometimes you’re reading directions, and the words just don’t make sense,” says Jeanette Moore, researcher and lab manager at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “That is the value of JoVE, actually seeing how to insert a needle in a laboratory animal before you do it, so you don’t have to do it twice.” 

When experienced researchers leave a lab, their skills often disappear with them. Videos can act as a long-term archive. Recording methods ensures that knowledge is preserved and available to the next generation of scientists.

Institutions that integrate JoVE into their lab training report accelerated learning and reduced costs. By standardizing training, researchers across institutions and countries are able to start off with the same foundation in reproducible methods, leveling the playing field for those in resource-constrained environments.

As part of a shared commitment to reproducibility, JoVE has partnered with BrRN to strengthen reliable science in Brazil. The pilot phase of the collaboration includes:

• ◽ Six-month access to JoVE video resources for 60 members of BrRN’s immediate network
• ◽ Webinars and training sessions to demonstrate how video-based methods strengthen reproducibility

Additionally, several major Brazilian universities, including University of São Paulo (USP), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), and Goiás State University (UEG), already have JoVE access, giving many local researchers a direct path to these resources.

The story of Dr. Lötvall’s lab shows how powerful video can be in turning a promising discovery into a widely applied method. 

Irreproducible findings can have a far-reaching ripple effect in science, affecting future research studies and scientific decision-making. JoVE was founded with reproducibility at its core. By pairing text with video, it addresses a fundamental gap in scientific communication.

But making research more reliable also requires cultural and structural change. BrRN is helping Brazil take this step by building research communities, expanding training, and advocating for transparent, accessible, and reproducible research. 

Together, JoVE and BrRN are advancing reproducibility in Brazil and providing an example of how institutions and researchers worldwide can strengthen reliable, transparent science.

Building reproducibility starts with the right tools.
Learn how JoVE videos support reproducible and productive research.

1. Collaborative practices for science and technology (BR0125). In Brazil action plan 2023–2027 (December). https://www.opengovpartnership.org/members/brazil/commitments/BR0125/
2. Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative. (2025, April 25). Estimating the replicability of Brazilian biomedical science (preprint). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.02.645026