In a move to advance open research and promote the sharing of reproducible scientific methods, Springer Nature, the world's leading publisher of protocols, has announced its acquisition of protocols.io, a secure platform for developing and sharing research protocols.
Scientific progress heavily relies on the credibility of data and the ability to verify, replicate, and build upon research findings. Sharing all aspects of research, including data, methods, materials, and even negative results, is crucial to improving research efficiency, enabling reproducibility, and fostering trust in the scientific community. Studies have revealed that a lack of awareness of existing work or negative results can lead to unnecessary duplication and potentially waste up to €26 billion in Europe alone.
To address these challenges, protocols.io plays a pivotal role by providing detailed step-by-step instructions for research methods, aiming to standardize processes, ensure result accuracy, and enable research replication. With the integration of protocols.io into Springer Nature's leading protocol offerings, researchers will now have the option to make their protocols openly available on the protocols.io platform, fully open access, in addition to publishing them in peer-reviewed publications, searchable via the Springer Nature Experiments.
Founded in 2012, protocols.io has earned a trusted reputation as an innovator within the protocols and methods space. The platform provides a secure environment for scientific collaboration outside of traditional protocols and methods workflows. In addition to hosting protocols, researchers benefit from the ability to write and share methods within the platform, facilitating greater collaboration and enhancing efficiency in their workflows.
As part of Springer Nature's expanding Solutions business, protocols.io will contribute to the comprehensive suite of tools and services aimed at empowering researchers and institutions, bolstering their success, enhancing impact, and boosting productivity.
In 2022, Springer Nature published over 154,000 open access articles and supported over 2.5 million authors in publishing their work under open access terms. The acquisition of protocols.io further solidifies Springer Nature's commitment to fostering open research practices, enabling greater collaboration, and accelerating scientific advancements.
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