In an era where transparency and collaboration define the future of scientific inquiry, a comprehensive new study sheds light on the evolving landscape of open research practices. Jointly conducted by Taylor & Francis and DataSeer, this investigation meticulously analyzed over 8,000 journal articles published in 2023 across a diverse range of disciplines, uncovering promising trends that suggest researchers are embracing open data sharing beyond the constraints of mandated requirements.
Open research, often referred to as open science, embodies a transformative approach where all outputs of scholarly work—including datasets, software, and code—are made accessible for peer scrutiny, reuse, and further advancement. The underpinning philosophy is to foster reproducibility and replicability in research findings, thereby enhancing the credibility and reliability of scientific knowledge. This new study offers a compelling quantification of this movement’s penetration, revealing that more than half of the sampled authors included a Data Availability Statement (DAS), which transparently communicates the accessibility status of research data.
The inclusion of DAS is a critical feature as it signals a cultural shift among researchers toward greater openness. Although many journals do not strictly require these statements, the study detected a surprisingly high adoption rate of 52%, suggesting that researchers are voluntarily embarking on this practice. This level of engagement is a testament to their recognition that sharing data can significantly elevate their research’s profile, influence, and collaborative potential within the global scientific community.
Furthermore, the analysis revealed that in some disciplines, nearly one-third of researchers openly shared their underlying data irrespective of journal policies. This independent choice to make data publicly accessible underscores a growing acknowledgment of the benefits of open data—from promoting methodological transparency to accelerating discovery. It represents a conscious effort by researchers to prioritize the collective advancement of knowledge over traditional notions of proprietary ownership of research outputs.
Underpinning the methodology of this research was an AI-driven landscape analysis designed by DataSeer, which systematically scanned the metadata and content of over 8,000 articles from Taylor & Francis’s extensive portfolio of more than 2,700 journals. This sophisticated approach allowed for the nuanced detection of open research indicators, ranging from DAS inclusion to the sharing of code and software artifacts, highlighting multi-faceted dimensions of openness beyond mere data sharing.
One of the report’s novel contributions involves its granular dissection of disciplinary and geographic variations in open research adoption. It demonstrates that openness is not uniformly distributed across fields; some scientific communities have advanced more rapidly towards data transparency and openness, while others lag behind. This uneven uptake unveils strategic opportunities for targeted outreach and policy refinement by publishers and research institutions aiming to cultivate a more universally open research culture.
The report titled “Moving the needle on open data” not only quantifies data sharing practices but also captures ancillary dimensions such as the prevalence of preprint dissemination and the adoption of persistent digital identifiers like ORCID iDs. These complementary practices are integral to the open science ecosystem, as they support the rapid dissemination of knowledge, enhance discoverability, and ensure proper attribution to researchers, thus facilitating a robust scholarly infrastructure within which open research can flourish.
Rebecca Taylor-Grant, Director of Open Science Strategy & Innovation at Taylor & Francis, expressed optimism about the findings, highlighting how these encouraging trends surpass initial expectations. She emphasized that this empirical insight will inform tailored support mechanisms aimed at empowering authors to embed open science practices more deeply within their workflows, thereby driving sustainable cultural change.
Tim Vines, founder and CEO of DataSeer, underscored the strategic importance of the study’s insights, noting that the continuous monitoring of open science metrics equips publishers to iteratively refine policies in harmony with evolving research behaviors. By leveraging such data-driven intelligence, stakeholders can pragmatically accelerate the transition toward a more transparent, rapid, and reproducible scientific enterprise.
Taylor & Francis’s commitment to collaboration with the academic community is reflected in its plans to operationalize these insights through discipline-specific support programs. With a diverse journal portfolio, fostering openness requires nuanced engagement that respects epistemic differences while promoting universal principles of transparency and accessibility across sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
The study’s release, coupled with the publicly accessible dataset hosted on Figshare, offers an invaluable resource to researchers, policymakers, and publishers alike. By illuminating patterns of open data sharing and related practices on a large scale, it catalyzes enhanced understanding and fosters informed debate about the future direction of scholarly communication.
Ultimately, this analysis signals a pivotal moment in the maturation of open science, where motivations for data sharing transcend compliance and reflect intrinsic values such as increased visibility, enhanced impact, and collaborative synergy. As the scientific community continues to adapt to the demands of an interconnected knowledge economy, such empirical evidence provides a foundation for innovation in publishing policies and research culture transformation.
In sum, the Taylor & Francis and DataSeer collaboration delineates a comprehensive portrait of current open research practices, emphasizing substantial yet heterogeneous progress. By harnessing AI and expansive datasets, the study sets a benchmark for ongoing monitoring and reinforces the crucial role of open data in advancing rigorous and trustworthy scholarship.
Subject of Research: Open Research Practices and Data Sharing in Scientific Publications
Article Title: Moving the needle on open data
News Publication Date: 2024
Web References:
– https://insights.taylorandfrancis.com/research-impact/moving-the-needle-on-open-data-new-study/
– https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30316342
Keywords: Data availability, Open science, Scientific publishing, Academic publishing, Information access, Open access, Science communication
