Scientific Publishing Finally Joins the Internet Age

London, United Kingdom, May 10, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Today F1000Research published findings (http://f1000research.com/articles/3-102/v1) by Kenneth Lee of the Chinese University of Hong Kong which highlight the perils of the traditional science publishing approach.

Until now, despite moving from paper to pixels, the publication of scientific research had not harnessed the full potential of the Internet. F1000Research (http://f1000research.com/) has a unique publishing model that combines the modern technologies and culture of the Internet while maintaining the rigor of traditional publishing.

Lee's paper reveals the full experimental results of an attempt to replicate a controversial study published in Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/full/nature12968.html) that suggested bathing common (somatic) cells in acid can reprogram them to become stem cells (pluripotent [iPS] cells). With systematically collected and fully available data, Lee and his colleagues report that carefully replicating the original acid-treatment method does not induce stem cells. Professor Lee’s paper will be peer reviewed after publication, which is the standard approach at F1000Research. The reviewers, their reports, comments and the full data set associated with the work will be freely available for download. The scientific community will have the information they need to properly evaluate the work.

The original Nature paper that has proven so controversial was also peer reviewed, but the reviewers were anonymous. The underlying data of the work was not available to readers – as is standard practice. Nature is not unique in this opacity; it is how the vast majority of journals approach data and the review of papers. Today, F1000Research is pushing forward the "open science" agenda by showing the benefits of a transparent approach to scientific publishing and the important dialogue that it creates.

"F1000Research's approach to publishing empowers the scientific community, who for the first time can make up their own minds about the latest breakthroughs in science", says Daniel Marovitz, CEO of F1000. "In F1000Research's environment, scientists cannot hide behind the curtain of anonymity of prestigious journals – work will always be open and downloadable for all to see. This is science as it should be."

Publishing results quickly, and ensuring that all the vital information surrounding the paper is openly available, will help combat the frequent shortfalls of the traditional journal model. Studies that become contentious after they are published can linger in the scientific literature for too long before the work is eventually retracted, or other scientists are able to confirm the results. A fast and fully transparent approach will help save millions of dollars in wasted and unnecessary effort, not to mention the potential to save lives.

For more information click here http://f1000.com/resources/STAP_PressRelease_Science_web.pdf, or visit f1000research.com.

About F1000Research
F1000Research is an original open science journal for life scientists that offers rapid open access publication, transparent post-publication peer review by invited referees, and full data deposition and sharing. The journal accepts all scientifically sound articles, including single findings, case reports, protocols, replications, null/negative results, and more traditional articles. F1000Research is published by U.K.-based Faculty of 1000 (F1000) and has offices in London and New York.

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