Norecopa
Norecopa is Norway's National Consensus Platform for the advancement of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in connection with animal experiments. Norecopa's website has over 10,000 pages, which are viewed over 300,000 times a year. Explore these pages to find information about the PREPARE Guidelines for Planning Animal Research and Testing.
The UFAW Handbook
Comprehensive handbook on the health and welfare of a range of vertebrates, decapod crustaceans and cephalopods used in laboratory and research environments with guidance on practical husbandry, breeding, laboratory procedures and disease control. Includes new chapters on ethical review, the care of aged animals, and fresh guidance on the care of mole rats, corvids, zebrafish, and decapods.
Code of practice for the care and accommodation of animals
The UK Government’s Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes provides the mandatory welfare and accommodation standards that all establishments must follow under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). It sets out the required conditions for housing, husbandry, staffing and daily care, along with best-practice guidance to support refinement and high-quality welfare. This Code translates ASPA’s legal duties into practical, species-appropriate standards for anyone working with protected animals.
National Centre for the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)
The NC3Rs is a UK-based scientific organisation that works nationally and internationally with the research community to replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in research and testing.
- NC3Rs website
- Information on Welfare Assessment
- Experimental Design Assistant (EDA)
- Mouse, rat and rabbit grimace scales
ARRIVE
The ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) are a checklist of recommendations for the full and transparent reporting of research involving animals – maximising the quality and reliability of published research, and enabling others to better scrutinise, evaluate and reproduce it.
The 3Hs Initiative
With support from the National Centre for the 3Rs and BBSRC, The 3Hs Initiative aims to:
- Reduce the use of physical restraint which causes distress, induces a negative affective state and can have long term detrimental effects on welfare and scientific outcomes;
- Improve housing of laboratory rodents to provide more natural environments whilst also enabling the practical requirements of scientific studies;
- Develop habituation methods to facilitate more positive affective associations with the handler and mitigate the negative impacts of aversive procedures;
- Evidence the welfare benefits which can be achieved using our objective measures of affective state.
FELASA
FELASA, the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations, represents common interests in the furtherance of all aspects of laboratory animal science (LAS) in Europe and beyond. FELASA puts the 3Rs of Laboratory Animal Science 'Replacement, Reduction and Refinement' centre stage. FELASA advocates responsible scientific conduct with animals in the life sciences with particular emphasis on ensuring animal welfare.
Replacing Animal Research (previously FRAME)
Founded in 1969 by Dorothy Hegarty, Replacing Animal Research were originally known as FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments). For over 50 years, they have championed non-animal research, by funding exciting human-relevant research, collaborating with and educating scientists, and influencing policy to accelerate the shift away from animal testing.
Research Animal Training (RAT)
Research Animal Training (RAT) provides key resources to underpin teaching and learning for anyone working with laboratory animals. A lot of information requires membership, but RAT also provide a large library of guides for conducting procedures with care (see below). These include videos and diagrams detailing the correct procedures for aseptic surgery, oral gavage, injections, handling and restrain and many more.
protocols.io
A secure platform for developing and sharing reproducible methods. Tweaking and adopting existing methods is laborious but often unrewarded. Knowledge around protocol optimization is routinely lost in paper notebooks and poorly reported in published papers. By sharing methods on protocols.io in your company or lab, you make sure that knowledge stays with the team, even if the scientist leaves. It also helps to keep the protocols up-to-date and make sure everyone is using the most recent version.
Published Resources
To support researchers and animal care staff, we’ve gathered a selection of published papers and technical guidelines that provide evidence-based advice on key procedures. These include resources on recognising pain, delivering brain stimulation, administering drugs intracranially, and other specialised techniques that may help when planning or refining your projects.
- Bimonte-Nelson (2015) The Maze Book: Theories, Practice, and Protocols for Testing Rodent Cognition
- Sotocina et al. (2011) The Rat Grimace Scale: A Partially Automated Method for Quantifying Pain in the Laboratory Rat via Facial Expressions
- Langford et al. (2010) Coding of facial expressions of pain in the laboratory mouse
- Hickman and Swan (2010) Use of a body condition score technique to assess health status in a rat model of polycystic kidney disease
- Ullman-Cullere (1999) Body Condition Scoring: A Rapid and Accurate Method for Assessing Health Status in Mice
- Zamboni (2019) Injection and Infusion of Compounds to the Central Nervous System
- Furlanetti et al. (2015) Feasibility and Safety of Continuous and Chronic Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation of the Medial Forebrain Bundle in the Naïve Sprague-Dawley Rat
- Morton and Griffiths (1985) Guidelines on the recognition of pain, distress and discomfort in experimental animals and an hypothesis for assessment
- Phillips et al. (2010). An observational assessment method for aging laboratory rats
- Hinchcliffe et al. (2022) The use of ball pits and playpens in laboratory Lister Hooded male rats induces ultrasonic vocalisations indicating a more positive affective state and can reduce the welfare impacts of aversive procedures
The Institute of Animal Technology
Founded in 1950, the IAT is the foremost professional body in the field of Animal Technology. The IAT's purpose is to advance knowledge and promote excellence in the care and welfare of animals in research and to enhance the standards and status of those professionally engaged in the care, welfare and use of animals in science
RSPCA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the RSPCA) aims to inspire everyone to create a better world for every animal.
More than 100 million animals are used in research and testing across the world each year, including around three million in the UK. Animals used in scientific procedures can and do experience pain, suffering and distress, which can be severe. The RSPCA's primary aim is the replacement of animal experiments with humane alternatives worldwide. Until this can be achieved, our work helps to ensure that the minimum number of animals are used, they experience the minimum suffering, and their welfare is significantly improved.
- https://science.rspca.org.uk/sciencegroup/researchanimals
- RSPCA and LASA, 2026, Guiding Principles on Good Practice for Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (4th edition). A report by the RSPCA Animals in Science Department and LASA Education, Training and Ethics Section. (M. Jennings ed.) PDF document available for download from https://lasa.co.uk/resources/