The PDB Validation Report

For a detailed breakdown of all validation results, consult the official wwPDB Validation Report. These reports are generated automatically when structures are deposited and are available as comprehensive PDF documents and XML files for every entry.

​​​​The PDF validation report includes a summary page with key global summary metrics and percentiles, followed by detailed sections for each type of check (geometry, fit to data, etc.), including lists and visualisations of outliers at the residue level. The XML files contain the same data in a machine-readable format, which can be used by molecular visualisation software (like Coot, PyMol or Chimera) to display validation information directly on the 3D structure.

Consulting the full validation report is highly recommended for anyone critically assessing a structural model. The wwPDB provides user guides for validation reports.

Validation reports for all existing PDB entries (X-ray, NMR, and cryo-EM) are publicly available. You can find them directly from the entry’s page on any of the wwPDB partner sites (PDBe, RCSB PDB or PDBj). You can also generate a validation report on demand for your own intermediate or unpublished structure using the wwPDB Validation Server.