Neuroendocrinology Open Data Exchange Standard (NODES) aims at developing a community-driven standard data structure for psychoneuroendocrinology (PNE) to facilitate data sharing and the reuse of open datasets in a field with high relevance for clinical decision-making and public health policy. We will provide an ecosystem that includes harmonised templates, metadata guidelines, and user-friendly tools so that the shared data can be used sustainably and to their full potential. This will ease meta-analyses, high-powered cross-study analyses. By aiming to integrate in vitro, animal, and human research data, the project seeks to enhance the translational potential of PNE and improve the merging of datasets for high-powered cross-study analyses.
Our mission 
Sharing research data openly conveys great potential, as it facilitates reproducibility and sustainability. In the field of PNE, which investigates the links between hormones, behavior, and wellbeing, sharing data is currently not common and shared data remains fragmented due to a lack of standards. As the correct interpretation of PNE data relies on contextual factors and technical details of data acquisition, it is necessary to share those meta-details in a comprehensive manner to not risk false conclusions. NODES intends to clearly define which information is necessary to correctly interpret PNE data while addressing practical considerations like accessibility and compatibility. Ultimately, NODES strives to transform research culture by dismantling barriers to open science and promoting a sustainable use of resources through increased transparency and reproducibility.
Who we are 
Our Task Force currently entails an interdisciplinary group from diverse institutions with a wide range of expertise, including human, animal and in vitro researchers, clinical practitioners, as well as bioinformaticians and programmers. We all have extensive experience in working with PNE data and faced major challenges when trying to access and merge datasets from different projects.
The task force was initiated by Maria Meier, Christiaan Vinkers, Jens Pruessner and Milou Sep, who authored an editorial on the topic and moderated a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2024 (https://osf.io/ukh3g/).
What we achieved so far 
We conducted a Delphi study to reach an expert consensus regarding important open questions. The Delphi Steering Group developed the surveys and completed data collection of the study in November 2025. The results of the first and second round can be accessed here and here.
Our next milestones
Based on the Delphi results, the Template Steering Group develops standard data templates and the Infrastructure Steering Group creates supporting infrastructure like web applications and software packages. If you are interested in joining the teams, please contact maria.meier@uni-konstanz.de.