Researchers Call For Greater Research Data Transparency

(WEST LAFAYETTE, IN) Agricultural researchers generate vast amounts of data yet little is shared with peers or accessible to the public. A diverse group of scientists, however, is calling for change and proposing the infrastructure to make it happen. Solving the world’s grand challenges – feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and ensuring access to clean water – depends heavily upon agricultural research and advances. Individual studies chip away at these issues, but combining data from multiple efforts offers opportunities to produce global change. Currently, the lack of a standardized method of organizing agricultural data makes it difficult to combine the data from many small studies to see the bigger picture. Also, many scientific journals put data behind paywalls, keeping it from the public and researchers who cannot afford to access the dozens or even hundreds of journals relevant to their fields. They call for institutions to bridge gaps between agricultural researchers and data scientists, as well as a shift to more of a team science approach that prioritizes data sharing.