On vital aid: the why, what and how of validation
2009

Understanding Validation in Macromolecular Crystallography

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Gerard J. Kleywegt

Primary Institution: Uppsala University

Hypothesis

The study discusses the importance and methods of validating macromolecular crystal structures.

Conclusion

Validation techniques are essential for identifying and correcting errors in macromolecular crystal structures before publication.

Supporting Evidence

  • Validation helps identify errors in macromolecular structures before they are published.
  • Weak validation methods assess how well a model reproduces the information used in its construction.
  • Strong validation methods test how well a model predicts new data not used in its creation.

Takeaway

Validation is like checking your homework to make sure there are no mistakes before you turn it in. It helps scientists ensure their models are correct.

Methodology

The article presents a general approach to validation and discusses various techniques and examples in macromolecular crystallography.

Potential Biases

Subjectivity in model building can lead to different interpretations and potential biases in the final structure.

Limitations

Errors in crystal structures can arise from limitations in data and subjectivity in the structure-determination process.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1107/S090744490900081X

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