| Abstract | Have you ever sought to use metagenomic DNA sequences reported in scientific publications? Were you successful? Here, we reveal that metagenomes from no fewer than 20% of the papers found in our literature search, published between 2016 and 2019, were not deposited in a repository or were simply inaccessible. The proportion of inaccessible data within the literature has been increasing year-on-year. Noncompliance with Open Data is best predicted by the scientific discipline of the journal. The number of citations, journal type (e.g., Open Access or subscription journals), and publisher are not good predictors of data accessibility. However, many publications in high-impact factor journals do display a higher likelihood of accessible metagenomic data sets. Twenty-first century science demands compliance with the ethical standard of data sharing of metagenomes and DNA sequence data more broadly. Data accessibility must become one of the routine and mandatory components of manuscript submissions--a requirement that should be applicable across the increasing number of disciplines using metagenomics. Compliance must be ensured and reinforced by funders, publishers, editors, reviewers, and, ultimately, the authors. |
| Authors | Ester M. Eckert, Andrea Di Cesare, Diego Fontaneto, Thomas U. Berendonk, Helmut Bürgmann, Eddie Cytryn, Despo Fatta-Kassinos, Andrea Franzetti, D. G. Joakim Larsson, Célia M. Manaia, Amy Pruden, Andrew C. Singer, Nikolina Udikovic-Kolic, Gianluca Corno |
| Text | 419959 2020 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000698 metagenomics scientometrics Every fifth published metagenome is not available to science Ester M. Eckert, Andrea Di Cesare, Diego Fontaneto, Thomas U. Berendonk, Helmut Burgmann, Eddie Cytryn, Despo Fatta Kassinos, Andrea Franzetti, D. G. Joakim Larsson, Celia M. Manaia, Amy Pruden, Andrew C. Singer, Nikolina Udikovic Kolic, Gianluca Corno Molecular Ecology Group MEG , Water Research Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Verbania Pallanza, Italy; Technische Universitat Dresden Institut fur Hydrobiologie, Dresden, Germany; Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Institute of Soil Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon Lezion, Israel; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Nireas International Water Research Center, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research CARe , University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, CBQF Centro de Biotecnologia e Quimica Fina Laboratorio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Porto, Portugal; Department of Civil Environmental Engineering, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America; UK Centre for Ecology Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom; Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia Have you ever sought to use metagenomic DNA sequences reported in scientific publications Were you successful Here, we reveal that metagenomes from no fewer than 20% of the papers found in our literature search, published between 2016 and 2019, were not deposited in a repository or were simply inaccessible. The proportion of inaccessible data within the literature has been increasing year on year. Noncompliance with Open Data is best predicted by the scientific discipline of the journal. The number of citations, journal type e.g., Open Access or subscription journals , and publisher are not good predictors of data accessibility. However, many publications in high impact factor journals do display a higher likelihood of accessible metagenomic data sets. Twenty first century science demands compliance with the ethical standard of data sharing of metagenomes and DNA sequence data more broadly. Data accessibility must become one of the routine and mandatory components of manuscript submissions a requirement that should be applicable across the increasing number of disciplines using metagenomics. Compliance must be ensured and reinforced by funders, publishers, editors, reviewers, and, ultimately, the authors. 18 Published version https //journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000698 pb journal.pbio.3000698.pdf Articolo in rivista Public Library of Science, 1545 7885 PLoS biology Online PLoS biology Online PLoS biol. Online PLoS biology Online Biology Online Public Library of Science biology Online gianluca.corno CORNO GIANLUCA diego.fontaneto FONTANETO DIEGO andrea.dicesare DI CESARE ANDREA estermaria.eckert ECKERT ESTER MARIA |
