Fairness in scientific publishing.
Major changes are afoot in the world of academic publishing, exemplified by innovations in publishing platforms, new approaches to metrics, improvements in our approach to peer review, and a focus on developing and encouraging open access to scientific literature and data. The FAIR acronym recommends that authors and publishers should aim to make their outputFindable,Accessible,Interoperable andReusable. In this opinion article, I explore the parallel view that we should take a collective stance on making the dissemination of scientific datafairin the conventional sense, by being mindful of equity and justice for patients, clinicians, academics, publishers, funders and academic institutions. The views I represent are founded on oral and written dialogue with clinicians, academics and the publishing industry. Further progress is needed to improve collaboration and dialogue between these groups, to reduce misinterpretation of metrics, to minimise inequity that arises as a consequence of geographic setting, to improve economic sustainability, and to broaden the spectrum, scope, and diversity of scientific publication.
Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Harris Manchester College, Oxford, UK; Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Philippa C
PC
Matthews
Academic publishing; data visualization; impact factor; metrics; open access; peer review