Zika virus initiative reveals deeper malady in scientific publishing | Science | The Guardian

" ... The hope is that the rapid release of information will quicken the pace of ongoing investigations into the outbreak and efforts by the international community to come up with new preventative measures and treatments. Among the most pressing questions are how Zika has spread so rapidly to the Americas and whether the suspected links with microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome are genuine. While the temporary abandonment of peer review may seem troubling, this need not be problematic. Serious researchers, mindful of reputation and the public health issues at stake, are likely to take due care in releasing their data. As a separate safeguard, the early and worldwide access enabled by this initiative will maximise the number of potential readers who can provide post-publication peer review. If errors do slip through, they are likely to be flagged up quickly. So the move is sensible, proportionate and necessary. But it also raises a raft of questions for the organisations involved and for the scientific community at large. For a start, the initiative only applies to research on the Zika virus but what studies will qualify for its special provisions? Science is an interdisciplinary endeavour. Insights into Zika virus transmission, pathogenesis and treatment will come not just from researchers working on the virus or the disease. They are likely also to arise come from studies of insect-borne viral diseases, from work on other flaviviruses (the family to which Zika belongs), and from studies on the cells types and molecules that interact with the virus when it infects mosquitos and humans ..."