Increasing best practice data sharing at PLOS Pathogens

"Since 2014, all PLOS journals have mandated the sharing of research data, and PLOS Pathogens has seen a steady increase in the use of repositories from 16% of research articles with data depositing in a repository in 2014 to 29% in 2020.... To enable more PLOS Pathogens researchers to share their data via a repository, we are experimenting with solutions that will make data deposition easier and more efficient. We have integrated the journal’s submission system with the Dryad repository (https://datadryad.org), which will be available for 1 year initially. Dryad is a generalist repository that will accept any data, with the exception of identifiable human data, as part of the manuscript submission process. Dryad will curate the dataset to ensure that it meets the minimum requirement, and PLOS Pathogens will cover the costs of this service for an unlimited number of authors for the initial 1-year period. These actions aim to further remove barriers to submission and therefore promote robust participation. This integration is part of a Wellcome Trust–funded PLOS open science initiative to explore how PLOS can improve data sharing and engagement with the data that have been shared...."