COVID-19 and the research scholarship ecosystem: help!

OBJECTIVES: Data sharing practices remain elusive in biomedicine. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the problems associated with the lack of data sharing. The objective of this article is to draw attention to the problem and possible ways to address it. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This article examines some of the current open access and data sharing practices at biomedical journals and funders. In the context of COVID-19 the consequences of these practices is also examined. RESULTS: Despite the best of intentions on the part of funders and journals, COVID-19 biomedical research is not open. Academic institutions need to incentivize and reward data sharing practices as part of researcher assessment. Journals and funders need to implement strong polices to ensure that data sharing becomes a reality. Patients support sharing of their data. CONCLUSION: Biomedical journals, funders and academic institutions should act to require stronger adherence to data sharing policies.