  Conjugation is a central characteristic of plasmid biology and an important
mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. However, there is little
consensus on how to accurately estimate and report plasmid conjugation rates,
in part due to the wide range of available methods. Given the similarity
between approaches, we propose general reporting guidelines for plasmid
conjugation experiments. These constitute best practices based on recent
literature about plasmid conjugation and methods to measure conjugation rates.
In addition to the general guidelines, we discuss common theoretical
assumptions underlying existing methods to estimate conjugation rates and
provide recommendations on how to avoid violating these assumptions. We hope
this will aid the implementation and evaluation of conjugation rate
measurements, and initiate a broader discussion regarding the practice of
quantifying plasmid conjugation rates.
