Advancing Research Communication & Scholarship

There is increasing recognition of the benefits of data sharing. Some funders and publishers now require researchers to make their data openly available, in part in the interest of reproducibility. Some laboratories have experienced the advantages of data sharing in the form of new collaborations and increased citations. However, several hurdles still exist that have prevented the widespread adoption of data sharing. This panel will go beyond the message of 'open data is good' to discuss practical challenges and solutions, bringing together the early-career researcher, open repository, and publisher perspectives. We will discuss the concerns researchers have with respect to open data, including fear of 'scooping', lack of credit for data sharing in evaluations, and data preparation. We will hear from one open repository (figshare) on infrastructure solutions for data storage and permanency. Finally, we will talk about the positive and negative experiences of one publisher (PLOS) after enacting an open data policy, and recommendations for other publishers to encourage data sharing. Overall, we aim to generate ideas and discussion about how to build an environment conducive to open data.