Who funds what: An assessment of research funding networks in data papers

Authors : Yurdagül Ünal, Müge Akbulut

This study examines the role of funding collaborations in shaping the production and dissemination of scientific information through data papers, a rapidly growing academic publication format.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies investigating, and evaluating the data paper-funder relationship. The goal of this study was, therefore, to evaluate data papers and funder information in detail, extracted from the data papers themselves, in order to reveal the collaborative characteristics of funders, and to provide guidance to researchers and funding agencies.

Data papers published between 2006–2017 were downloaded from the Web of Science database. The same papers were retrieved from Dimension, which offered more detailed category classifications. These classifications were then utilized for further analysis based on categories. The names of funders were standardized by matching them using the Crossref funder registry, and associated funding metadata.

A statistical, and social network analysis were performed. The top funding country was the USA; the top funding institution was the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. The collaboration network among funders exhibited relatively low density.

A collaboration network of 1197 links between 69 countries was created. The USA had connections with 62 countries. Our study is important because it standardizes the funding data for data papers by associating them with Crossref funding metadata.

The widespread increase of data papers, and their relatively dispersed funding among a variety of funders points to the need for research evaluating collaborations between funders, as important both for the funded researchers, and for understanding and optimizing the shortcomings of current funding management.

URL : Who funds what: An assessment of research funding networks in data papers

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669251352185

The role of preprints in open science: Accelerating knowledge transfer from science to technology

Authors : Zhiqi Wang, Yue Chen, Chun Yang

Preprints have become increasingly essential in the landscape of open science, facilitating not only the exchange of knowledge within the scientific community but also bridging the gap between science and technology.

However, the impact of preprints on technological innovation, given their unreviewed nature, remains unclear. This study fills this gap by conducting a comprehensive scientometric analysis of patent citations to bioRxiv preprints submitted between 2013 and 2021, measuring and accessing the contribution of preprints in accelerating knowledge transfer from science to technology.

Our findings reveal a growing trend of patent citations to bioRxiv preprints, with a notable surge in 2020, primarily driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preprints play a critical role in accelerating innovation, not only expedite the dissemination of scientific knowledge into technological innovation but also enhance the visibility of early research results in the patenting process, while journals remain essential for academic rigor and reliability. w

The substantial number of post-online-publication patent citations highlights the critical role of the open science model-particularly the « open access » effect of preprints-in amplifying the impact of science on technological innovation.

This study provides empirical evidence that open science policies encouraging the early sharing of research outputs, such as preprints, contribute to more efficient linkage between science and technology, suggesting an acceleration in the pace of innovation, higher innovation quality, and economic benefits.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.20225

Open Licensing Models in the Cultural Heritage Sector

Authors :  Bartolomeo Meletti, Kristofer Erickson, Aline Iramina, Victoria Stobo

This document reports on a study of open licensing practices among cultural heritage institutions (CHIs) carried out by researchers in the CREATe Centre at the University of Glasgow and the Centre for Archive Studies at the University of Liverpool.

The purpose of this study – funded by Creative Commons – is to advance understanding of how open licensing is being used in CHIs in practice and to enable information sharing about potential strategies. The authors do not endorse any singular approach – the findings reflect responses by a wide range of institutions in their own local contexts.

URL : Open Licensing Models in the Cultural Heritage Sector

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15691432 

Open access publishing in an African context: Notable improvements and recurring challenges

Authors : Sodiq Onaolapo, Philips Ayeni, Siphamandla Mncube

Open access publishing has been promoted as a pivotal means of bridging the gap in knowledge access and usage. Despite the growing support for open access publishing globally, little is known about African scholars’ engagement with open access publishing and the barriers limiting their open access publishing practices.

Using a survey research design, data was collected from 241 researchers from selected universities in Africa, such as Nigerian, Kenyan and South African universities. The data was collected using online surveys and analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages. T

he study reveals that while most of the respondents had published open access articles (78.01%) and had a positive perception of the quality of open access journals (73.45%) and editorial teams, more than half were still limited by article processing charges (58.51%) as they had no funding for their research.

Although African researchers are embracing open access publishing more now than they were historically, barriers such as article processing charges and the prolonged response time from reviewers continue to pose a serious challenge to open access uptake in Africa. This study proposes five recommendations for improving open access uptake in African and Global South countries.

URL : Open access publishing in an African context: Notable improvements and recurring challenges

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352251351113

Linking Data Citation to Repository Visibility: An Empirical Study

Authors  : Fakhri Momeni, Janete Saldanha Bach, Brigitte Mathiak, Peter Mutschke

In today’s data-driven research landscape, dataset visibility and accessibility play a crucial role in advancing scientific knowledge. At the same time, data citation is essential for maintaining academic integrity, acknowledging contributions, validating research outcomes, and fostering scientific reproducibility.

As a critical link, it connects scholarly publications with the datasets that drive scientific progress. This study investigates whether repository visibility influences data citation rates. We hypothesize that repositories with higher visibility, as measured by search engine metrics, are associated with increased dataset citations.

Using OpenAlex data and repository impact indicators (including the visibility index from Sistrix, the h-index of repositories, and citation metrics such as mean and median citations), we analyze datasets in Social Sciences and Economics to explore their relationship. Our findings suggest that datasets hosted on more visible web domains tend to receive more citations, with a positive correlation observed between web domain visibility and dataset citation counts, particularly for datasets with at least one citation. However, when analyzing domain-level citation metrics, such as the h-index, mean, and median citations, the correlations are inconsistent and weaker.

While higher visibility domains tend to host datasets with greater citation impact, the distribution of citations across datasets varies significantly. These results suggest that while visibility plays a role in increasing citation counts, it is not the sole factor influencing dataset citation impact. Other elements, such as dataset quality, research trends, and disciplinary norms, can also contribute to citation patterns.

URL : Linking Data Citation to Repository Visibility: An Empirical Study

DOI : https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.09530