Funders must mandate and reward open research records

"Funders have the power to change incentives to support rigorous research. Together with Chris Chambers, co-founder of the UK Reproducibility Network, I have drafted a Universal Funders Policy that mandates and rewards the open deposition of all records associated with a publication.

Our proposal does not apply to all materials generated in the course of a project. To many, at least in the biomedical sciences, such a requirement would not be beneficial or pragmatic. It could result in a ‘data dump’ of limited value. Yet the bulk of a standard biomedical publication is based on smaller data sets that are often available only from the corresponding author ‘upon reasonable request’, a practice that hampers transparency.

For such a policy to be accepted and work long-term, its implementation route might find inspiration in Plan S developments: an initial phase of consultation with diverse stakeholders, followed by a transition period during which researchers and institutions prepare for the ‘new normal’. Finally, funders will need to enforce the mandate...."