AUTHOR=Przeslawski Rachel , Barrett Neville , Carroll Andrew , Foster Scott , Gibbons Brooke , Jordan Alan , Monk Jacquomo , Langlois Tim , Lara-Lopez Ana , Pearlman Jay , Picard Kim , Pini-Fitzsimmons Joni , van Ruth Paul , Williams Joel 

TITLE=Developing an ocean best practice: A case study of marine sampling practices from Australia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1173075

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2023.1173075

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=There has been a recent surge in marine science publications that use the term ‘best practice’, yet it is not often defined, nor is the process behind the best practice development described. A ‘best practice’ is more than a documented practice that an individual or institution uses and considers good. This article describes a rigorous process to develop an ocean best practice using examples from an Australian case study in which a suite of nine standard operating procedures were released in 2018 and have since become national best practices. The process to develop a best practice includes three phases 1) scope and recruit, 2) develop and release, 3) revise and ratify. Each phase includes underlying steps that are supported by the Ocean Best Practices System (www.oceanbestpractices.org). The Australian case study differs from many other practices, which only use the second phase (develop and release). In this article, we emphasise the value of the other phases to ensure a practice is truly a ‘best practice’. These phases also have other benefits, including higher uptake of a practice stemming from a sense of shared ownership (from scope and recruit phase) and currency and accuracy (from revise and ratify phase). Although the process described in this paper may be challenging , it optimises the chance to develop a true best practice that is a) fit-for-purpose with clearly defined scope; b) representative and inclusive of potential users; c) accurate and effective, reflecting emerging technologies and programs; and d) supported and adopted by users.