Researchers need ‘open’ bibliographic databases, new declaration says

When universities are deciding whom to hire and promote, or grant organizations are selecting projects to fund, there’s a good chance they’re referencing more than just the application materials. Many organizations rely on databases that compile publication information including authors, affiliations, citations, and funding sources to create metrics meant to quantify a researcher’s productivity and the quality of their work. Some of the best known databases, such as the Web of Science and Scopus, are proprietary and offer pay-to-access data and services supporting these and other metrics, including university rankings and journal impact factors. But in a declaration posted today, more than 30 research and funding organizations call for the community to commit to platforms that instead are free for all, more transparent about their methods, and without restrictions about how the data can be used. “At a time when decision making in science is increasingly guided by indicators and analytics, addressing the problems of closed research information must be a top priority,” states the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information. Signatories so far include funders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the French National Research Agency, as well as more than a dozen academic institutions. Sorbonne University— which discontinued its subscription to the Web of Science last year and switched to a newer, open platform called OpenAle...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research