Core Concepts
Adopting open science practices such as preprint posting and data sharing in repositories is associated with significantly higher citation counts for research publications, while code sharing does not show a significant citation advantage.
Abstract
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the citation impact of open science practices, including preprint posting, data sharing, and code sharing. The key findings are:
Preprint posting is associated with a significant positive citation advantage of about 20.2% on average.
Sharing data in an online repository is associated with a smaller yet still positive citation advantage of 4.3% on average.
The citation impact of these open science practices varies across scientific disciplines.
No significant citation advantage was found for sharing code.
The analysis is based on a dataset of over 122,000 research articles, primarily from the PLOS publisher. While the dataset is heavily weighted toward PLOS publications, the findings suggest that adopting open science practices can enhance the visibility and academic impact of research. However, the observational nature of the study precludes definitive conclusions about causality, and the effects may be influenced by other factors not accounted for in the analysis. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between open science practices and a broader range of impact measures beyond citations.
Stats
Preprint posting is associated with a 20.2% (±.7) increase in citation counts on average.
Sharing data in an online repository is associated with a 4.3% (±.8) increase in citation counts on average.
The citation impact of open science practices varies significantly across scientific disciplines.
Quotes
"Adopting open science practices such as preprint posting and data sharing in repositories is associated with significantly higher citation counts for research publications."
"No significant citation advantage was found for sharing code."