fnirs4all – an open-source knowledge hub for fNIRS researchers

Significance: The human brain is best understood when studied in natural situations, something that can be achieved with functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). When implementing fNIRS in research there is a lot of explicit and implicit knowledge to consider. Where should one start? Aim: To facilitate the implementation of fNIRS in research, we developed an open-source fNIRS knowledge hub.Approach: After a first phase of collecting existing tutorials, best practices, and guides, and integrating fNIRS in our own research and teaching, we conducted a need assessment survey (n = 23, across career stages), and a focus group (n = 6). This led to the creation of three personas, a MSc-student, PhD candidate, and professor, that cover different approaches to fNIRS research and form the target audience. Results: Using these personas and their needs as a starting point, we created and populated an open-source knowledge hub called fnirs4all, https://fnirs4all.gitlab.io/. This resource currently consists of four chapters combining existing fNIRS knowledge and covers the first steps of implementing fNIRS in research: getting started, running an fNIRS study, analysing your fNIRS data, and reporting your results. Conclusion: The goal of fnirs4all is to provide an open-source community platform and knowledge hub that can support researchers in every phase of their fNIRS research.