Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: One of the foundations of the scientific method is to be able to reproduce experiments and corroborate the results of research that has been done before. However, with the increasing complexities of new technologies and techniques, coupled with the specialisation of experiments, reproducing research findings has become a growing challenge. Clearly, scientific methods must be conveyed succinctly, and with clarity and rigour, in order for research to be reproducible. Here, we propose steps to help increase the transparency of the scientific method and the reproducibility of research results: specifically, we introduce a peer-review oath and accompanying manifesto. These have been designed to offer guidelines to enable reviewers (with the minimum friction or bias) to follow and apply open science principles, and support the ideas of transparency, reproducibility and ultimately greater societal impact. Introducing the oath and manifesto at the stage of peer review will help to check that the research being published includes everything that other researchers would need to successfully repeat the work. Peer review is the lynchpin of the publishing system: encouraging the community to consciously (and conscientiously) uphold these principles should help to improve published papers, increase confidence in the reproducibility of the work and, ultimately, provide strategic benefits to authors and their institutions. Future incarnations of the various national Research Excellence Frameworks (REFs) will evolve away from simple citations towards measurable societal value and impact. The proposed manifesto aspires to facilitate this goal by making transparency, reproducibility and citizen-scientist engagement (with the knowledge-creation and dissemination processes) the default parameters for performing sound research.
Source: F1000Research
Authors: Jelena Aleksic, Adrian Alexa, Teresa K Attwood, Neil Chue Hong, Martin Dahlö, Robert Davey, Holger Dinkel, Konrad U Förstner, Ivo Grigorov, Jean-Karim Hériché, Leo Lahti, Dan MacLean, Michael L Markie, Jenny Molloy, Maria Victoria Schneider, Camille Scott, Richard Smith-Unna, Bruno Miguel Vieira, as part of the AllBio: Open Science & Reproducibility Best Practice Workshop
Institutions: Wellcome/MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Wellcome Trust, University of Manchester, Software Sustainability Institute, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Earlham Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, University of Würzburg, Technical University of Denmark, Norwich Research Park, Sainsbury Laboratory, Faculty of 1000 (United Kingdom), University of Oxford, Michigan State University, Queen Mary University of London
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,350
OpenAlex ID: W4237790742