OXFORD: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared an international public health emergency over the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
One day later, Wellcome Trust, a London-based research charity, called for researchers, journals and funders around the world to share research data and findings relevant to the coronavirus to inform the public and help save lives.
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On the same day, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure launched a free website and called for scientists to publish research on the coronavirus with open access.
Shortly after, the prominent scientific journal Nature issued an editorial urging all coronavirus researchers to “keep sharing, stay open”.
READ: Commentary: Tech is not all bad. Our COVID-19 experience shows this
READ: Commentary: Disruptive tech is coming for COVID-19 threat, but needs more funding
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So while cities are locked down and borders are closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak, science is becoming more open. This openness is already making a difference to scientists response to the virus and has the potential to change the world.
But its not as simple as making every research finding available to anyone for any purpose. Without care and responsibility, there is a danger that open science can be misused or contribute to the spread of misinformation.
Open science can come in a variety of forms, including open data, open publications and open educational resources.
OPEN DATA
DNA sequencing is of great importance to developing specific diagnostic kits around the world.
The virus is currently being referred to as 2019-nCoV. (Image: AFP/Lizabeth Menzies)
Yong-Zhen Zhang and his colleagues from Fudan University in Shanghai were the first to sequence the DNA of the novel coronavirus. They placed the gene sequence in GenBank, an open-access data repository.
Researchers around the world immediately started analysing it to develop diagnostics.
As of Feb 19, 81 different coronavirus gene sequences had been shared openly via GenBank and 189 via the China National Genomics Data Centre. They provide the data that will allow scientists to decode the mystery of the virus and hopefully find a treatment or vaccine.
The WHO and national organisations like the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention also publish open statistical data, such as the number of patients. This can help researchers to map the spread of the virus and offer the public up-to-date and transparent information.
READ: Commentary: Japan shows how not to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak
READ: Commentary: Outbreaks of diseases make us exaggerate or under-estimate risks. The COVID-19 shows that
OPEN PUBLICATIONS
Science publications are costly. One of the most expensive Elsevier journals, Tetrahedron Letters, costs £16,382 (US$21,200) for an institutional annual subscription and £673 for a personal one.
Even the University of Harvard cannot afford to subscribe to all journals. This means not all researchers have access to all subscription-based publications.
Authors can publish their articles free to access, which often means they need to pay the publishers an average £2,000 in article processing costs.
In 2018, only 36.2 per cent of science publications were open-access.
Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus that emerged in China late last year. (Photo: AFP/STR)
As of Feb 18, there were 500 scientific articles about the novel coronavirus in the comprehensive scholarly database Dimensions. Only 160 (32 per cent) of them were in open-access publications. This includes preprint servers such as bioRxiv and arXiv, which are widely used open-access archives to publish research before it goes through scientific peer review.
Normally, you would need to pay subscription fees to read any of the other 340 articles. However, articles published by the 100 companies who have signed the Wellcome Trusts statement on sharing coronavirus research have been made freely accessible by publishers.
Major publishers including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley Online Library, Emerald, Oxford University Press and Wanfang have also set up featured open-access resources page. The Chinese database CQVIP has offered free access to all of its 14,000 journals during the coronavirus outbreak.
As it takes on average 160 days for a preprint to be published after peer review, sharing preprints can save time and lives. Free access to articles on the coronavirus can also accelerate global research on this subject.
READ: Commentary: Hot and humid weather may end the novel coronavirus – as well as the development of a vaccine
READ: Commentary: Dont forget the vulnerable in the fight against COVID-19
OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Due to the outbreak, universities in China have postponed their new semesters and switched to online learning.
But alongside the 24,000 online courses open to students, universities (including the elite Peking University, Tsinghua University and Xian Jiaotong University) are offering free online courses to the public about the coronavirus.
Such courses can offer the public reliable information grounded in academic research, helping them better understand and protect themselves against the virus.
RESPONSIBLE OPEN SCIENCE
While all these developments are positive, it is important to remember that open science doesnt mean science without limits. It must be used responsibly by researchers and the public.
OXFORD: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared an international public health emergency over the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
One day later, Wellcome Trust, a London-based research charity, called for researchers, journals and funders around the world to share research data and findings relevant to the coronavirus to inform the public and help save lives.
Advertisement
Advertisement
On the same day, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure launched a free website and called for scientists to publish research on the coronavirus with open access.
Shortly after, the prominent scientific journal Nature issued an editorial urging all coronavirus researchers to “keep sharing, stay open”.
READ: Commentary: Tech is not all bad. Our COVID-19 experience shows this
READ: Commentary: Disruptive tech is coming for COVID-19 threat, but needs more funding
Advertisement
Advertisement
So while cities are locked down and borders are closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak, science is becoming more open. This openness is already making a difference to scientists response to the virus and has the potential to change the world.
But its not as simple as making every research finding available to anyone for any purpose. Without care and responsibility, there is a danger that open science can be misused or contribute to the spread of misinformation.
Open science can come in a variety of forms, including open data, open publications and open educational resources.
OPEN DATA
DNA sequencing is of great importance to developing specific diagnostic kits around the world.
The virus is currently being referred to as 2019-nCoV. (Image: AFP/Lizabeth Menzies)
Yong-Zhen Zhang and his colleagues from Fudan University in Shanghai were the first to sequence the DNA of the novel coronavirus. They placed the gene sequence in GenBank, an open-access data repository.
Researchers around the world immediately started analysing it to develop diagnostics.
As of Feb 19, 81 different coronavirus gene sequences had been shared openly via GenBank and 189 via the China National Genomics Data Centre. They provide the data that will allow scientists to decode the mystery of the virus and hopefully find a treatment or vaccine.
The WHO and national organisations like the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention also publish open statistical data, such as the number of patients. This can help researchers to map the spread of the virus and offer the public up-to-date and transparent information.
READ: Commentary: Japan shows how not to deal with a COVID-19 outbreak
READ: Commentary: Outbreaks of diseases make us exaggerate or under-estimate risks. The COVID-19 shows that
OPEN PUBLICATIONS
Science publications are costly. One of the most expensive Elsevier journals, Tetrahedron Letters, costs £16,382 (US$21,200) for an institutional annual subscription and £673 for a personal one.
Even the University of Harvard cannot afford to subscribe to all journals. This means not all researchers have access to all subscription-based publications.
Authors can publish their articles free to access, which often means they need to pay the publishers an average £2,000 in article processing costs.
In 2018, only 36.2 per cent of science publications were open-access.
Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus that emerged in China late last year. (Photo: AFP/STR)
As of Feb 18, there were 500 scientific articles about the novel coronavirus in the comprehensive scholarly database Dimensions. Only 160 (32 per cent) of them were in open-access publications. This includes preprint servers such as bioRxiv and arXiv, which are widely used open-access archives to publish research before it goes through scientific peer review.
Normally, you would need to pay subscription fees to read any of the other 340 articles. However, articles published by the 100 companies who have signed the Wellcome Trusts statement on sharing coronavirus research have been made freely accessible by publishers.
Major publishers including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley Online Library, Emerald, Oxford University Press and Wanfang have also set up featured open-access resources page. The Chinese database CQVIP has offered free access to all of its 14,000 journals during the coronavirus outbreak.
As it takes on average 160 days for a preprint to be published after peer review, sharing preprints can save time and lives. Free access to articles on the coronavirus can also accelerate global research on this subject.
READ: Commentary: Hot and humid weather may end the novel coronavirus – as well as the development of a vaccine
READ: Commentary: Dont forget the vulnerable in the fight against COVID-19
OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Due to the outbreak, universities in China have postponed their new semesters and switched to online learning.
But alongside the 24,000 online courses open to students, universities (including the elite Peking University, Tsinghua University and Xian Jiaotong University) are offering free online courses to the public about the coronavirus.
Such courses can offer the public reliable information grounded in academic research, helping them better understand and protect themselves against the virus.
RESPONSIBLE OPEN SCIENCE
While all these developments are positive, it is important to remember that open science doesnt mean science without limits. It must be used responsibly by researchers and the public.
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