Publication Alert: Does animal welfare impact research reproducibility, public trust, and staff outcomes?
From Mice to Moths: Practical Reasons for Considering Animal Welfare in Research (Cait et al. 2026; Journal of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Scientists)
We’re all familiar with the ethical argument for caring about animal welfare in science: these animals may feel pain and we should minimize potential aversive experiences if we can. But, are there other reasons for caring about animal welfare in science? And, do these reasons traverse the vertebrate-invertebrate taxonomic divide that currently frames the review of research by American institutional animal research ethics committees?
In this paper, Cait, MacLellan, Adcock and myself look at the instrumental benefits of considering animal welfare in research, including:
Does considering animal welfare in research improve reproducibility and generalizability/translatability of research?
Does considering animal welfare in research improve public trust?
Does considering animal welfare in research improve staff performance outcomes (like satisfaction, retention, or minimizing reports of adverse experiences at work)?
We looked at these three questions through both a vertebrate (rodents as the focal taxon) and invertebrate (insects as the focal taxon) lens. Although it’s clear that there’s much more work to do in this area, the data we reviewed generally support the idea that reproducibility, translation, public trust, and staff performance outcomes can all be improved by considering animal welfare in research. What’s more, not considering welfare can be costly in dollars spent, talent lost, and failure to communicate with the public about the value of research.
Ultimately, these arguments aren’t meant to replace the ethical arguments for caring about animal welfare in science - they’re only meant to complement them. Caring about animal welfare (for vertebrates and, potentially, for at least some invertebrates too) in science is part of a commitment to robust scientific practice and a professional responsibility for us all.
Want to read more news from the lab?
