Breaking down barriers

~ How open access publishing models improve project outcomes for postgraduate research students ~ 

One of the hardest things about starting a postgraduate science degree is the literature review that forms the basis of the entire research project. This allows the student and their academic supervisor to understand existing experimental methods and ensure essential criteria for passing the qualification is met – novelty. However, with huge swathes of research locked behind paywalls, this is often difficult to do. Here Philipp Koellinger, founder of open access publishing start-up DeSci Labs, explains why, if we are to solve the world’s scientific challenges, the future of scientific publishing must truly be open access and not concentrated into the hands of a select few publishers. 

The journey into postgraduate research is often heralded as an exciting adventure into the unknown. But for many aspiring scientists, the reality can be far less exhilarating as their adventures hit an immediate obstacle: the literature review. 

Accessibility problems 

With Google Scholar at our fingertips, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of research out there. However, simply digging through the search results to find relevant journal articles is only half the battle. A significant portion of the existing literature is locked behind paywalls, creating a frustrating obstacle for students trying to grasp the nuances of their chosen field. 

Furthermore, the vast majority of published articles do not provide access to the code and data on which their claims are based, and publishers lack the technology to evaluate and publish anything other than manuscripts. Building on this fragmented, incomplete, and partly paywalled content is like trying to build a house with only half the blueprints. 

This is more than just an inconvenience. It’s a systemic issue that hinders scientific progress. By restricting access to research based on paid subscriptions, we create an uneven playing field that favours those with the resources to afford expensive journal subscriptions. 

And by publishing only the final manuscript, with data and code being inaccessible or lost, we have to rely on author’s statements without being able to check. The lack of data and code in the scientific record also means that many people have to reinvent the wheel over and over again, and many underpowered and flawed research findings end up getting published. This not only limits the potential pool of future scientists but also slows down the pace of scientific discovery. 

Lowering the walls 

At its finest, science is a collaborative effort. After all, you don’t improve scientific research by hiding scientific data. Sharing knowledge freely is essential for accelerating innovation as, by making experimental methods and their results more accessible, it allows for greater scrutiny, replication and an enhanced capacity to building on existing work. It also fosters a culture of transparency and accountability, which are fundamental to the integrity of science. 

An open access publishing landscape also makes it easier to address global challenges. From climate change to disease outbreaks, the world needs science to provide solutions. By making all components of research freely available, including data and code, we empower scientists everywhere to contribute to finding answers. We break down geographical and economic barriers, ensuring that the best minds can work together to tackle humanity’s most pressing problems. 

It’s time to recognize that the current publishing model is outdated and counterproductive. The future of science depends on new researchers being able to enter the field, assess the current literature landscape and get to work trying to build on it. By dismantling paywalls and making research freely available, we improve the experiences of postgraduate students globally, make their research projects run smoother and deliver better outcomes. 

DeSci Labs is doing this by building a traceable digital version of the scientific record that treats data and code as “equal citizens”, following the company raising $6.5 million in seed funding. DeSci Publish is the world’s first open-source peer-to-peer platform for scientific publishing, and the first publishing solution based on versionable research objects that can contain any file type. 

This will help the industry address the replication crisis and ensure scientists work can be seen and recognised, regardless of where the audience is based or how much funding they have available. 

The current version of the platform allows researchers to share up to 100 GB of content for free, with persistent identifiers for each file uploaded. If this sounds interesting, visit publish.desci.com to try the platform for free.