A methods paper can be published, indexed, and shared widely, yet still make little difference in practice.
For many researchers, the real question is whether another lab can pick up the protocol and use it with confidence.
Dr Maria L Spletter, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Systems, School of Science and Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, studies muscle structure and function. In this clip, she explains that her published JoVE protocol has been used multiple times by researchers in other labs.
This raises a practical question for prospective authors: what helps a method get used?