Open access to data and the laboratory methods that generate them

"The Public Library of Science, often called PLOS, has taken another step in making data more easily, and freely, accessible to scientists, researchers and the public. In a new partnership with protocols.io, PLOS is encouraging its authors to provide details on the experimental methods used in their laboratories, and provide links to these details in the articles they publish. The addition of protocols.io aims to improve reproducibility and recognition. The protocols.io platform is an open access repository of science methods used by researchers throughout the world. This new offering aligns with a robust repository of data made available through PLOS. Executive editor Veronique Kiermer said, 'This is another step towards open science, facilitating access not only to the data but now also to the laboratory methodology that generated these data.' The foundation is part of PLOS' history as an early funder, helping enable its creation with a nine million dollar grant in 2002, followed by a one million dollar matching funds grant in 2006. Building on its commitment to open science, the foundation, through its Marine Microbiology Initiative, recently supported protocols.io to develop an online protist genetics community and expand the marine virus ecology community with the goal of increasing knowledge and sharing best practices in these communities."