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closeFollow-up Comment from In-house Editors
Posted by PLOS_ONE_Group on 03 Mar 2016 at 22:52 GMT
After the publication of the article, a reader queried the availability of the data underlying the study. In response, the PLOS ONE staff editors followed up with the authors who indicated that the data reported in the article were acquired "one shot," and that no technical replicates were used because the measurements were performed in accredited laboratories that previously determined technical uncertainties of the standardized methods. The reference to triplicates in the Methods section of the article refers to the sampling and not to the measurements. The data underlying the study were thus included in the supporting information file available with the article.
To specifically address the lack of technical replicates, the PLOS ONE staff editors then consulted a member of the Editorial Board, who advised that on the basis of the information provided by the authors, it is acceptable that pooled samples were analyzed only once.