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Code sharing increases citations but remains uncommon
  • +12
  • Brian Maitner,
  • Paul Santos Andrade,
  • Luna Lei,
  • Jamie Kass,
  • Hannah Owens,
  • George Barbosa,
  • Bradley Boyle,
  • Matiss Castorena,
  • Brian Enquist,
  • Xiao Feng,
  • Daniel Park,
  • Andrea Paz,
  • Gonzalo Pinilla-Buitrago,
  • Cory Merow,
  • Adam Wilson
Brian Maitner
University at Buffalo Department of Geography

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Paul Santos Andrade
Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
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Luna Lei
University at Buffalo
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Jamie Kass
Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences
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Hannah Owens
University of Copenhagen Globe Institute
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George Barbosa
University of Arizona
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Bradley Boyle
University of Arizona
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Matiss Castorena
University of Arizona
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Brian Enquist
University of Arizona, USA
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Xiao Feng
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Daniel Park
Purdue University
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Andrea Paz
ETH Zurich
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Gonzalo Pinilla-Buitrago
City University of New York
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Cory Merow
University of Connecticut
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Adam Wilson
University at Buffalo Department of Geography
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Abstract

Biologists increasingly rely on computer code to collect and analyze their data, reinforcing the importance of published code for transparency, reproducibility, training, and a basis for further work. Here we conduct a literature review examining temporal trends in code sharing in ecology and evolution publications since 2010, and test for an influence of code sharing on citation rate. We find that there is wide room for improvement in sharing code, as scientists are overwhelmingly (95%) failing to publish their code and that there has been no significant improvement over time. We also determined that there is a significant incentive to share, as we additionally find that code sharing can considerably improve citations, particularly when combined with open-access publication.
13 Nov 2023Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
15 Nov 2023Submission Checks Completed
15 Nov 2023Assigned to Editor
17 Nov 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
30 Jan 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Jan 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
30 Apr 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
03 Jul 20242nd Revision Received
04 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Accept