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Code sharing in ecology and evolution increases citation rates but remains uncommon.
Brian Maitner1,2, Paul Efren Santos Andrade3, Luna Lei4
1Department of Integrative Biology University of South Florida St. Petersburg Florida USA.
Ecology and Evolution
|August 29, 2024
Summary
Publishing scientific code remains uncommon in ecology and evolution, despite its benefits for transparency and reproducibility. However, sharing code can boost a study's citation rate over time, especially when combined with open access and data sharing.
Area of Science:
- Ecology and Evolution
- Computational Biology
- Scientific Publishing
Background:
- Biologists increasingly use computational code for data analysis, necessitating its publication for transparency, reproducibility, and training.
- Published code serves as a foundation for future research and verification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate temporal trends in code sharing within ecology and evolution literature since 2010.
- To investigate the impact of code sharing on the citation rates of scientific publications.
Main Methods:
- A literature review was conducted to analyze code sharing practices.
- Citation rates were compared between publications with and without shared code.
Main Results:
- Code sharing is infrequent, with only 6% of papers publishing code, showing minimal increase over time.
- Publications sharing code, while initially having lower impact, accumulate citations faster.
- Studies meeting additional Open Science criteria (open-access, data sharing) exhibit higher citation rates, with all three criteria yielding the greatest citation accumulation.
Conclusions:
- Code sharing in ecology and evolution is currently underutilized but offers long-term citation benefits.
- Adherence to broader Open Science principles, including code sharing, data sharing, and open access, significantly enhances research visibility and impact.
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