# Merqury: reference-free quality, completeness, and phasing assessment for genome assemblies

“Merqury: reference-free quality, completeness, and phasing assessment for genome assemblies” (2020), by Arang Rhie et al. Genetics and Biochemistry research paper. Original abstract below, unchanged. A free PDF is available.

- Authors: Arang Rhie, Brian P. Walenz, Sergey Koren, Adam M. Phillippy
- Published: September 14, 2020
- Field: Genetics and Biochemistry
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-020-02134-9
- Free PDF: https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s13059-020-02134-9

## Abstract

Recent long-read assemblies often exceed the quality and completeness of available reference genomes, making validation challenging. Here we present Merqury, a novel tool for reference-free assembly evaluation based on efficient k-mer set operations. By comparing k-mers in a de novo assembly to those found in unassembled high-accuracy reads, Merqury estimates base-level accuracy and completeness. For trios, Merqury can also evaluate haplotype-specific accuracy, completeness, phase block continuity, and switch errors. Multiple visualizations, such as k-mer spectrum plots, can be generated for evaluation. We demonstrate on both human and plant genomes that Merqury is a fast and robust method for assembly validation.

Canonical page: https://nerdi.pages.dev/paper/W3085758516
Read three real papers a day in Nerdi (iPhone): https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6813826387?pt=128757794&ct=web-paper&mt=8