ASAPbio#

The ASAPbio logo.

ASAPbio is a biologist-driven non-profit working to promote the productive use of preprints and open peer review in the life sciences. ASAPbio looks forward to collaborating with NASA and other organizations to advance open science across disciplines this year.

How does ASAPbio support open science?#

Preprints are not only a tool for sharing drafts of papers under review. They can also transform the science communication process by supporting researchers in broadening when they share and what they share. For example, preprints can provide a venue for sharing negative results or confirmatory studies that might be difficult to publish in a journal. They can also be used to open up a public dialog about science much earlier in the research cycle, enabling researchers to communicate and collaborate with one another in new ways by forming collaborations or engaging in public scientific dialog.

ASAPbio supports a culture of preprinting and open review in the life sciences by:

  1. Convening stakeholders to discuss open questions and best practices

  2. Building a community of researchers and other preprint advocates, to whom we provide training and networking opportunities

  3. Piloting initiatives that advance preprint and open review adoption

  4. Developing resources about the current state of preprinting and acting as hub for information on new developments, and

  5. Advocating for policies that support the productive use of preprints and open review

ASAPbio’s Year of Open Science goal#

Our 2023 roadmap is already aligned with several Year of Open Science Goals, but we will focus in particular on goal 3 (Develop a plan or pilot a program to reward and account for open-science activities in evaluations and incentives). In late 2022, we collaborated with EMBO and HHMI to host Recognizing Preprint Peer Review, a workshop to promote community consensus and support for preprint peer review and to create funder, institutional, and journal policies that recognize both preprints with reviews, and reviews of preprints. In early 2023, we posted recommendations from two Working Groups (one consisting of representatives of journals & preprint review projects and the other of funders, researchers, and institutions) on how preprint review can be rewarded in evaluations and incentives.

During 2023, we will follow up on this work by:

  1. Publishing an article making the case for recognition of preprint review and outlining calls to action

  2. Tracking policy developments on our website

  3. Hosting follow up conversations and convenings to support stakeholders considering the implementation of new policies

Learn more at asapbio.org.