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closeA role for publishers.... or for journal editors?
Posted by Michael_Lichten on 20 Jan 2015 at 21:39 GMT
In agreement with Edwin Dreyer, it is indeed unfortunate that the recommendations in this article arose from a meeting of publishers and data managers, without little if any input from the scientists who form not only the editorial base, but the primary customer base for scientific publications. It is important for journals, in transitioning to more open and comprehensive models for scientific publication, to maintain an awareness of the needs of this base and the constraints that policy decisions create for it. Right now, the discussion feels to this editor and scientist (and member of the PLOS Data Policy advisory group) like a top-down policy imposition that is being made by non-scientists to advance their particular agenda at the potential expense of the scientists on whom they ultimately depend. If so, it's truly unfortunate. Has PLOS, which was founded by scientists in reaction to the restrictive, top-down behavior of commercial publishers, moved so far away that it no longer takes serious consideration of the needs of the scientific community?
RE: A role for publishers.... or for journal editors?
jenniferlin15 replied to Michael_Lichten on 08 Feb 2015 at 18:11 GMT
As described in the perspective, the recommendations emerged from a meeting represented by data managers and researchers. These were drafted and circulated widely for community comment. An aim of this article was to generate more discussion with the scientific community. Before drafting and publishing the recommendations, we encouraged practicing researchers, funders, data repositories, institutional administrators, etc. to provide input through a host of channels, and we continue to welcome constructive comment. We are very encouraged by the debates that have since followed about data access, and expect that they will continue to drive positive and productive work to realize common, shared goals of greater reproducibility and more efficiency in the research enterprise.