HHMI works to discover and share scientific knowledge. We believe that science is a public good. Should new research be shared freely, widely, and quickly? We asked our scientists what they think.
In fall 2019, the Center for Open Science conducted a survey of HHMI-employed scientists, their postdoctoral associates and graduate students, and a cohort of HHMI grantees who are early career scientists. The scientists surveyed represent more than 245 leading academic and nonprofit research labs in the United States.
Through the survey, we learned that many of our scientists see big challenges with current publishing practices, favor open publishing in principle, and consider open publishing the future. Researchers vary more in their own publishing behaviors and in their reaction to an employer or funder mandating “immediate open access” publishing. HHMI is using these survey results to help inform our approach to publishing policy.
Methodology »
This report summarizes the results of an anonymous online survey that the Center for Open Science conducted for HHMI in the fall of 2019. The survey asked scientists to answer 26 questions regarding their attitudes and behaviors on a range of topics related to open access and open science.
The survey included and reports results by five populations:
- HHMI Investigators (218 of 283; 77% response rate)
- HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus Group Leaders (27 of 36; 75% response rate)
- Graduate students and postdocs in HHMI Investigator labs (749 of 2470; 30% response rate)
- Graduate students and postdocs in Janelia labs (28 out of 109; 26% response rate)
- Hanna H. Gray Fellows (early career grantees of HHMI) (34 out of 45; 76% response rate)
In addition to reporting data for each of the five groups separately, we also aggregated data from HHMI Investigators and Janelia Group Leaders as ‘PIs’ and data from the three trainees groups as ‘Trainees.’
Glossary »
The survey provided the following terms and definitions to participants:
An open license refers to a copyright license that allows others to freely re-use the whole or parts of the article, including re-printing the article or individual figures, as long as the authors are credited. CC-BY is the most common open license.
Pre-prints are research articles that are shared prior to formal peer review and acceptance at a journal.
Pre-registration of study designs refers to a detailed plan of the research question and methodology made before beginning the experiment that is put in a registry or repository in a time-stamped, read-only fashion.
Pre-registration of analysis plans refers to a detailed plan of how the study data will be analyzed before seeing the results of an experiment that is put in a registry or repository in a time-stamped, read-only fashion.
A restrictive license refers to a copyright license that does not automatically allow others to freely re-use the whole or parts of the articles. Subscription journals typically use restrictive licenses to ensure that their content is accessed through their journal websites.
Study data refers to the data collected for a study that underlies the results reported in the manuscript.
Study materials refers to the information that would be needed to rerun a study. This could include detailed protocols, lab notebooks, reagent identifiers, or other objects related to data generation and/or collection.
Key Findings
Finding 1 – Most surveyed scientists see significant challenges with scientific publishing today and generally favor open access over subscription.
Publishing Survey Results: Figure 1
Figure 1A
How do you feel about the length of time it takes to publish a research article (i.e., from the time of initial submission to ultimate publication)?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘slightly too long’ and ‘much too long’ responses.
Figure 1B
To what extent do you think the current publishing system favors established scientists who know how to operate in the current system?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘very much favors' and ‘extremely favors’ responses.
Figure 1C
To what extent do you think the current subscription-based journal system is better or worse than open access alternatives?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘slightly better’ and ‘much better’ responses.
Figure 1D
To what extent do you oppose or favor open licenses of research articles to maximize sharing and reuse?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘slightly favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Finding 2 – The scientists are divided on whether they oppose or favor a policy requiring them to publish open access, which would restrict their publication choices.
Publishing Survey Results: Figure 2
Figure 2A
To what extent would you oppose or favor having your funder(s) mandate that scientists must publish only in journals that allow free and immediate availability of primary research articles [..], even if the mandate might restrict your publication choices?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘somewhat favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Figure 2B
To what extent would you oppose or favor having your funder(s) mandate that scientists must publish only in journals that allow free and immediate availability of primary research articles [..], even if the mandate might restrict your publication choices?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘somewhat favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Data from HHMI Investigators and Janelia Group Leaders are aggragated as ‘PIs’ and data from the three trainees groups as ‘Trainees.’
Finding 3 – When considering a policy requiring them to publish open access, the scientists’ top concern was that trainees will find it more difficult to obtain tenure-track academic positions if they cannot publish in prestigious journals that are currently subscription-based.
Figure 3.
With an open access mandate, how concerned are you that…?
Publishing Survey Results: Figure 3
Figure 3A
… trainees will face a more challenging job search.
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘somewhat favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Figure 3B
… the ability to attract grant funding could be limited.’
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘very concerned’ and ‘extremely concerned’ responses.
Figure 3C
... the ability to attract trainees could be limited.
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘very concerned’ and ‘extremely concerned’ responses.
Figure 3D
…scientific societies might no longer be able to support activities if they lose revenue from their subscription journals.
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘very concerned’ and ‘extremely concerned’ responses.
Figure 3E
...an open access mandate could interfere with the academic freedom to publish in a journal of one’s choice.
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘very concerned’ and ‘extremely concerned’ responses.
Finding 4 – The majority of Group Leaders at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus who took the survey report posting or reading preprints, with a lower proportion of HHMI Investigators and trainees doing so. Scientists are split on whether they oppose or favor a requirement to publish preprints.
Publishing Survey Results: Figure 4
Figure 4A
How often do you post pre-prints of your research articles?
Percent numbers aggregate ‘very often’ and ‘always’ responses.
Figure 4B
To what extent do you oppose or favor a mandate from your funder(s) to deposit manuscripts as pre-prints before peer review?
Percent numbers aggregate ‘slightly favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Finding 5 – The scientists strongly support publication of peer reviews and author responses, if reviewers can remain anonymous. This support drops if the identity of the peer reviewer must be revealed.
Publishing Survey Results: Figure 5
Figure 5A
To what extent do you oppose or favor identifying peer reviewers by name on the published research articles?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘slightly favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Figure 5B
To what extent do you oppose or favor publishing peer reviews and author responses alongside research articles if reviewers have the option of remaining anonymous?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘slightly favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Figure 5C
To what extent do you oppose or favor publishing peer reviews and author responses alongside research articles by default if reviewers must sign their reviews?
The percent numbers on the right aggregate ‘slightly favor’ and ‘strongly favor’ responses.
Last updated: March 3, 2020