A Solution to Concerns Over Public Access to Scientific Data

To balance the public need for accountability and better policy decision-making with concerns regarding burdens on scientists and scientific progress, the authors propose that increased access be limited to data relevant in analyzing regulations that would have an annual economic impact of at least $100 million.

Abstract

A proposed regulation in the United States to make data sets from federally funded, published research publicly available has raised a storm of controversy in the scientific community. The authors believe that the peer-review process preceding scientific publication is not adequate to inform policy decisions. To balance the public need for accountability and better policy decision-making with concerns regarding burdens on scientists and scientific progress, the authors propose that increased access be limited to data relevant in analyzing regulations that would have an annual economic impact of at least $100 million.