Towards community-driven metadata standards for light microscopy: tiered specifications extending the OME model

The reproducibility crisis affecting the biological sciences is well documented 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 . In the field of light microscopy, it can only be addressed if all published images are accompanied by complete descriptions of experimental procedures, biological samples, microscope hardware specifications, image acquisition settings, image analysis parameters and metrics detailing instrument performance and calibration 9 , 22 , 26 , 27 . This complete description, also known as image metadata , consists of any and all information about an imaging experiment that ensures its rigorous interpretation, reproducibility and reusability, and should be recorded in scientific publications and alongside the actual image data in the file header or in supplementary files 6 , 7 . A fully developed metadata model would provide for consistent tracking of crucial information pertaining to the quality, reproducibility and scientific value of image data, and will allow the communication and comparison of such information in a Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible (FAIR) manner 6 , 28 (see also Text Box I in ref. 6 ). However, as microscopy has evolved from a tool that generates purely descriptive or illustrative data to primary quantitative data acquired with ever more sophisticated and complex instruments, our practices for recording this quantitative data and metadata faithfully and reproducibly have not kept up.