biostudies-literatureUnknown20(11)Karp NAIn animal experiments, blinding (also known as masking) is a methodological strategy to reduce the risk that scientists, animal care staff, or other staff involved in the research may consciously or subconsciously influence the outcome. Lack of masking has been shown to correlate with an overestimation of treatment efficacy and false positive findings. We conducted exploratory interviews across academic and a commercial setting to discuss the implementation of masking at four stages of the experiment: during allocation and intervention, during the conduct of the experiment, during the outcome assessment, and during the data analysis. The objective was to explore the awareness, engagement, perceptions, and the barriers to implementing masking in animal experiments. We conducted multiple intPLoS biologye3001873https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9714947biostudies-literatureA qualitative study of the barriers to using blinding in in vivo experiments and suggestions for improvement.PMC9714947Stringer EJBarkus CUlrichsen JCKarp NAPercie du Sert NPearl EJfalseA qualitative study of the barriers to using blinding in in vivo experiments and suggestions for improvement.In animal experiments, blinding (also known as masking) is a methodological strategy to reduce the risk that scientists, animal care staff, or other staff involved in the research may consciously or subconsciously influence the outcome. Lack of masking has been shown to correlate with an overestimation of treatment efficacy and false positive findings. We conducted exploratory interviews across academic and a commercial setting to discuss the implementation of masking at four stages of the experiment: during allocation and intervention, during the conduct of the experiment, during the outcome assessment, and during the data analysis. The objective was to explore the awareness, engagement, perceptions, and the barriers to implementing masking in animal experiments. We conducted multiple int2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Nov2025-04-25T17:04:03.467Z2025-04-06T04:59:31.707ZS-EPMC97149473639532610.1371/journal.pbio.3001873