The Open-Specimen Movement. (16th December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Colella, Jocelyn P; Stephens, Ryan B; Campbell, Mariel L; Kohli, Brooks A; Parsons, Danielle J; Mclean, Bryan S
• Is Part Of: BioScience. Volume 71:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 405
• Page End: 414
• Publication Date: 2020-12-16
• Subjects: data management plan -- extended specimen -- natural history collections -- open access -- open data -- open science; Life sciences -- Periodicals; Life sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; Life sciences -- United States -- Periodicals; Life sciences -- Government policy -- United States -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Biotechnology industries -- Periodicals; 570
• DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaa146
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0006-3568

Abstract

Abstract: The open-science movement seeks to increase transparency, reproducibility, and access to scientific data. As primary data, preserved biological specimens represent records of global biodiversity critical to research, conservation, national security, and public health. However, a recent decrease in specimen preservation in public biorepositories is a major barrier to open biological science. As such, there is an urgent need for a cultural shift in the life sciences that normalizes specimen deposition in museum collections. Museums embody an open-science ethos and provide long-term research infrastructure through curation, data management and security, and community-wide access to samples and data, thereby ensuring scientific reproducibility and extension. We propose that a paradigm shift from specimen ownership to specimen stewardship can be achieved through increased open-data requirements among scientific journals and institutional requirements for specimen deposition by funding and permitting agencies, and through explicit integration of specimens into existing data management plan guidelines and annual reporting.