Information on Alternatives

Guidance

Federal regulations stipulate that an investigator must consider alternatives to the use of animals and any procedures that may cause pain and distress (9CFR §2.31,c,8,d,ii; Policies #11 and 12 of the USDA APHIS Animal Care Policy Manual). To comply with these regulations, the Animal Care and Use Committee requires that you provide your search criteria (databases used, date the search was conducted, years covered by the search, keywords) as well as a short summary of your search results.

The Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) require this information be presented in the form of a literature search. For your convenience, the ACUC developed a guideline, Literature Searches for Alternatives, to help you conduct a literature search for alternatives. Additional information and helpful tips can be found in the “References” section of the ACUC guideline and on the following websites/documents:

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