# Make every neural result traceable from preparation to figure

Existing data standard / proposed implementation. Neurodata Without Borders provides a real standard for neurophysiology data. Necromancer proposes using NWB where appropriate, alongside documented extensions and linked imaging or molecular metadata. A standard file format enables exchange; it does not certify sample quality, correct inference, or ethical permission to share donor-linked information.

Canonical page: https://givegigs.com/wiki/necro-chapter-xdpu-provenance-commons
Last updated: 2026-11-09T18:58:12.991Z
Parent topic: [necromancer-proposals](https://givegigs.com/wiki/necromancer-proposals)

## Contents
- [Overview](#wiki-section-overview-1)
- [Chapter notes](#wiki-section-chapter-notes-2)
- [Dossier section](#wiki-section-dossier-link-3)

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## Overview

Existing data standard / proposed implementation. This page expands the “Make every neural result traceable from preparation to figure” chapter in the proposals collection.

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## Chapter notes

Neurodata Without Borders provides a real standard for neurophysiology data. Necromancer proposes using NWB where appropriate, alongside documented extensions and linked imaging or molecular metadata. A standard file format enables exchange; it does not certify sample quality, correct inference, or ethical permission to share donor-linked information.

Proposed records link coded biological provenance, preparation batch, instrument configuration, raw acquisition, stimulation events, calibration, exclusions, processing versions, and analysis outputs. Publish the derivation of each figure and preserve failed runs. Separate confidential donor information from public experimental identifiers, with access governed by the consent and institutional arrangements that actually apply.

Proposed gate: an independent analyst can regenerate the main result from permitted data and a fixed software environment, while a separate laboratory can attempt the same scientific comparison. Preregister the primary endpoint, experimental unit, exclusions, and multiplicity handling. Thousands of electrodes from one preparation must not masquerade as thousands of independent biological replicates.

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## Dossier section

[Open this exact section in the Necromancer dossier](/necromancer#xdpu-provenance-commons). The original chapter status is “Existing data standard / proposed implementation.”

## Sources

- [Neurodata Without Borders](https://nwb.org/)
- [Standards for Human Stem Cell Use in Research](https://www.isscr.org/resources/standards)

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