Scientists who share data publicly receive more citations

A new study finds that papers with data shared in public gene expression archives received increased numbers of citations for at least five years. The large size of the study allowed the researchers to exclude confounding factors that have plagued prior studies of the effect and to spot a trend of increasing dataset reuse over time. The findings will be important in persuading scientists that they can benefit directly from publicly sharing their data.

Researchers examining open science are reporting that by sharing, the original authors’ work is receiving wider attention, which can lead to better peer-review and entrance of new knowledge and technologies into society.