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The data-index: an author-level metric that values impactful data and incentivises data sharing

View ORCID ProfileAmelia S C Hood, View ORCID ProfileWilliam J Sutherland
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.20.344226
Amelia S C Hood
Conservation Evidence, Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K.
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  • For correspondence: amelia.hood3@gmail.com
William J Sutherland
Conservation Evidence, Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K.
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Abstract

Author-level metrics are a widely used measure of scientific success. The h-index, and its variants, measure publication output (number of publications) and impact (number of citations), and these are often used to allocate funding or jobs. Here we argue that the emphasis on publication output and impact hinders progress in the fields of ecology and evolution as it disincentivises two fundamental practices: generating long-term datasets and sharing data. We describe a new author-level metric, the data-index, which values dataset output and impact and promotes generating and sharing data as a result. It is designed to complement other metrics of scientific success, as scientific contributions are diverse and our value system should reflect that. Future work should focus on designing alternative metrics that value our wider merits, such as communicating our research, informing policy, mentoring other scientists, and providing open-access code and tools.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted October 21, 2020.
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The data-index: an author-level metric that values impactful data and incentivises data sharing
Amelia S C Hood, William J Sutherland
bioRxiv 2020.10.20.344226; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.20.344226
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The data-index: an author-level metric that values impactful data and incentivises data sharing
Amelia S C Hood, William J Sutherland
bioRxiv 2020.10.20.344226; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.20.344226

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