State of open science in cancer research

Purpose: This study has been focused on assessing the Open Science scenario of cancer research during the period 2011-2021, in terms of the derived scientific publications and raw data dissemination.

Methods: A cancer search equation was executed in the Science Citation Index-Expanded, collecting the papers signed by at least one Spanish institution. The same search strategy was performed in the Data Citation Index to describe dataset diffusion.

Results: 50,822 papers were recovered, 71% of which belong to first and second quartile journals. 59% of the articles were published in Open Access (OA) journals. The Open Access model and international collaboration positively conditioned the number of citations received. Among the most productive journals stood out Plos One, Cancers, and Clinical and Translational Oncology. 2693 genomics, proteomics and metabolomics datasets were retrieved, being Gene Expression Omnibus the favoured repository.

Conclusions: There has been an increase in oncology publications in Open Access. Most were published in first quartile journals and received higher citations than non-Open Access articles, as well as when oncological investigation was performed between international research teams, being relevant in the context of Open Science. Genetic repositories have been the preferred for sharing oncology datasets. Further investigation of research and data sharing in oncology is needed, supported by stronger Open Science policies, to achieve better data sharing practices among three scientific main pillars: researchers, publishers, and scientific organizations.