Import Protocols from repositories such as Bio Protocol

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1

Hello,

I have recently started using “https://bio-protocol.org/Default.aspx” as a source of protocols in biology. It would be great if we could download a pdf version and import them directly into findings.

Thanks,
peter

2

Hi Peter,

Import from PDF is a really difficult challenge, but there might be some metadata embedded in the PDFs. Import from repositories is on our todo list, but it is a long list and at the moment, we don’t have specific plans for the next updates. I’d be interested to have feedback from other users in this discussion, if there are other repositories of interest.

One thing to also note, is that some of those repositories have copyright rules that make it impossible to directly support import from them.

We also set up a space on this community to share protocols and resources for Findings users. To share a protocol, you can use the menu File > Export as Archive. The resulting file can be opened in Findings and retains all the native formatting.

Charles

4

Hey Charles,

I can understand the .pdf import issues. Is there a “good” or maybe a “better” file format that would help accelerate the development? I was thinking of asking bio-protocol if it is possible to get an xml version of their protocols for download.

It sounds like they have articles that are fully copy written and others that are under the open access rights. I think these OA protocols would work the best for now as they come with transferable editing rights, and if there was a citation section to ensure people know where the protocols come from I think it could be an excellent way of developing and sharing “citable” works.

They also ask people to include a lot of the necessary, but never included items to properly perform an experiment

Thanks,
Peter