Ten simple rules for international short-term research stays

About the Authors: Diego A. Forero * E-mail: diego.forero@uan.edu.co Affiliations Laboratory of NeuroPsychiatric Genetics, Biomedical Sciences Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia, PhD Program in Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9175-3363 Sandra Lopez-Leon Affiliation: Global Drug Development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, United States of America George P. Patrinos Affiliations Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras School of Health Sciences, Patras, Greece, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0519-7776Citation: Forero DA, Lopez-Leon S, Patrinos GP (2017) Ten simple rules for international short-term research stays. Plan ahead carefully Planning for a research stay abroad takes time in order to organize in advance the different aspects; namely, adequate time in the host institution, plane tickets, accommodation, visas, insurance and permissions, details of the experiments to be carried out, and rotations in other laboratories and/or centers, among others [9,14]. Take into account that part of the collaborative work can be finalized in your own country, so focus on the activities for which one needs to be physically present face-to-face-such as scientific discussions and the use of databases, computer programs, laboratory samples, materials, and instruments that can only be used at the host institution. [...]when visiting research institutions abroad, there are many details that need to be taken into account that are easily missed. [...]these rules will be an essential source of guidance when planning your visit.