Focus
Transparency in science
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Transparency and reproducibility are key ingredients of good science, and require that data and methods, including computer code, be made available. In this collection of opinion pieces, we highlight some of the chances and challenges in opening code and data to the scrutiny of the scientific community and the world at large.
Editorial
Towards transparency - p777
doi:10.1038/ngeo2294
Sharing data is key for efficient scientific progress. More open code would be beneficial too.
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Commentary
Of carrots and sticks - pp778-779
Jens Kattge, Sandra Díaz & Christian Wirth
doi:10.1038/ngeo2280
Journals and funders increasingly require public archiving of the data that support publications. We argue that this mandate is necessary, but not sufficient: more incentives for data sharing are needed.
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Open code for open science? - pp779-781
Steve M. Easterbrook
doi:10.1038/ngeo2283
Open source software is often seen as a path to reproducibility in computational science. In practice there are many obstacles, even when the code is freely available, but open source policies should at least lead to better quality code.
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From the archives
Editorials
Optimized data logistics -
doi:10.1038/ngeo1259
Accessible storage of scientific data is usually mandated, but not often achieved. The task needs people who are interested in information technology and regard it as their primary focus.
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Data for eternity -
doi:10.1038/ngeo840
Unlike accountants, scientists need to store their data forever. This expanding task requires dedication, expertise and substantial funds.
Full text - Information storage | PDF (116 KB) - Information storage
Nature: Code share -
doi:10.1038/514536a
Papers in Nature journals should make computer code accessible where possible.
Scientific Data: More bang for your byte -
doi:10.1038/sdata.2014.10
The question is no longer whether research data should be shared, but how to make effective data sharing a common and well-rewarded part of research culture.
Commentary
A path to filled archives -
Dirk Fleischer & Kai Jannaschk
doi:10.1038/ngeo1248
Reluctance to deposit data is rife among researchers, despite broad agreement on the principle of data sharing. More and better information will reach hitherto empty archives, if professional support is given during data creation, not in a project's final phase.
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Perspective
Nature: The case for open computer programs -
Ince, D.C., Hatton, L. & J. Graham Cumming
doi:10.1038/nature10836
Scientific communication relies on evidence that cannot be entirely included in publications, but the rise of computational science has added a new layer of inaccessibility. We argue that, with some exceptions, anything less than the release of source programs is intolerable for results that depend on computation.
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