Promoting a culture of preprinting in biology

Jessica PolkaDirector, ASAPbio

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ASAPbio is a researcher-driven project to promote the productive use of preprints in the life sciences.

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• Convening meetings• Advocating for policies

on preprints• Distributing information• Supporting community

discussions

ASAPbio.org#ASAPbio

A preprint is a manuscript posted online before completion of journal-organized peer review

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Benefits of preprints

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• Compatible with journals• Helps scientists demonstrate recent productivity• Enables earlier & broader feedback• Accelerates communication of scientific results• Low barrier to sharing: negative results, etc• Potential for innovation: open, versioned publications that implicitly

interoperate with other services (ie journals)

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arXiv: 100,000 manuscripts per year

Preprint servers have existed for 25 years

In Biology

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figshare (filtered by PrePubMed)Preprints.org (articles/reviews in bio/life/med)Nature Precedings (manuscripts, from search results)The WinnowerF1000 ResearchPeerJ Preprints (bio/med/life)bioRxiv (from bioRxiv)arXiv (q-bio w/cross-lists, from arxiv.org stats)

Version 1 | asapbio.org

Preprints are taking off in biology

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PubMed 2015 average: ~66,700 articles/month https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/bsd_key.html

Rate of preprinting: ~1%

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Larivière et al 2013 (arXiv)

PubMed 2015 average: ~66,700 articles/month https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/bsd_key.html

Rate of preprinting: ~1%

Physics vs. biology

• Competition

• Difficulty of reproduction

• Historic precedent

• Culture

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* https://www.nsf.gov/funding/funding-rates.jsp?org=MPS** https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2015/06/29/what-are-the-chances-of-getting-funded/

NSF 2016 Astronomy

22%*NSF 2016 Physics

33%*NIH 2014 RPG

18.1% **

Funding rates

Math vs. HEP vs. Cond-mat

ArXiv has operated since 1991

Paul Ginsparg, founder of arXiv on scooping:

“It  can’t  happen,  since  arXiv postings are accepted as date-stamped priority claims.

Eventually I came to understand that biologists do  not  use  “scoop”  in  the  standard  journalistic  sense…  Instead  “scooping”  in  the  context  of  biology research appears to mean using information or ideas without proper attribution.”

http://asapbio.org/preprint-info/preprint-faq

The cycle of cultural change

Cultural Capital

Behavioral intention

• Attitudes• Values• Beliefs

Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

Behavioral path

Behavioral norm

BehaviorBehavioral

drivers

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The cycle of cultural change

Cultural Capital

Behavioral intention

• Attitudes• Values• Beliefs

Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

Behavioral path

Behavioral norm

BehaviorBehavioral

drivers

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“Preprints  are  dangerous”

“I’m  going  to  get  scooped”

“Journals  won’t  accept  preprints”

Objection from

advisors etc

“No  one  will  see  it”

Low awareness of

preprints

“No  one  I  know  preprints”

The cycle of cultural change

Cultural Capital

Behavioral intention

• Attitudes• Values• Beliefs

Behavioral path

Behavioral norm

BehaviorBehavioral

drivers

• Enable• Information/awareness• Capacity/Infrastructure

• Encourage• Incentives• Requirements• Recognition

• Engage• Co-production• Fora• Networks

• Exemplify• Consistency• Leading by example

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Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

The cycle of cultural change

Cultural Capital

Behavioral intention

• Attitudes• Values• Beliefs

Behavioral path

Behavioral norm

BehaviorBehavioral

drivers

• Enable• Information/awareness• Capacity/Infrastructure

• Encourage• Incentives• Requirements• Recognition

• Engage• Co-production• Fora• Networks

• Exemplify• Consistency• Leading by example

Increasing visibility

Asapbio.org: FAQ, tracking

policies

Promoting preprint

infrastructure & standardsFunder/

institutional policy

#ASAPbio, transparency, Ambassadors

Senior scientists

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Similarity to conference

talks/posters

Preprint journal clubs in curricula

Adapted from Knott, Muers, Aldridge, 2008. Achieving Culture Change: A Policy Framework. UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit.

Thank you

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ASAPbio Advisory boardRon Vale (UCSF)James Fraser (UCSF)Daniel Colόn-Ramos (Yale)Harold Varmus (Cornell)Harlan Krumholz (Yale)Cynthia Wolberger (JHU)Tony Hyman (MPI)

ASAPbio FundingSimonsSloanArnoldMoore