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Ivimey-Cook ER, Pick JL, Bairos-Novak KR, Culina A, Gould E, Grainger M, Marshall BM, Moreau D, Paquet M, Royauté R, Sánchez-Tójar A, Silva I, Windecker SM. Implementing code review in the scientific workflow: Insights from ecology and evolutionary biology. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1347-1356. [PMID: 37812156 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Code review increases reliability and improves reproducibility of research. As such, code review is an inevitable step in software development and is common in fields such as computer science. However, despite its importance, code review is noticeably lacking in ecology and evolutionary biology. This is problematic as it facilitates the propagation of coding errors and a reduction in reproducibility and reliability of published results. To address this, we provide a detailed commentary on how to effectively review code, how to set up your project to enable this form of review and detail its possible implementation at several stages throughout the research process. This guide serves as a primer for code review, and adoption of the principles and advice here will go a long way in promoting more open, reliable, and transparent ecology and evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward R Ivimey-Cook
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Joel L Pick
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kevin R Bairos-Novak
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies & College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Antica Culina
- Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology, NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Elliot Gould
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Benjamin M Marshall
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - David Moreau
- School of Psychology, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Matthieu Paquet
- Institute of Mathematics of Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, Talence, France
| | - Raphaël Royauté
- Université ParisSaclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR EcoSys, Palaiseau, France
| | | | - Inês Silva
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR), Görlitz, Germany
| | - Saras M Windecker
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Roche DG, Raby GD, Norin T, Ern R, Scheuffele H, Skeeles M, Morgan R, Andreassen AH, Clements JC, Louissaint S, Jutfelt F, Clark TD, Binning SA. Paths towards greater consensus building in experimental biology. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274263. [PMID: 35258604 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In a recent editorial, the Editors-in-Chief of Journal of Experimental Biology argued that consensus building, data sharing, and better integration across disciplines are needed to address the urgent scientific challenges posed by climate change. We agree and expand on the importance of cross-disciplinary integration and transparency to improve consensus building and advance climate change research in experimental biology. We investigated reproducible research practices in experimental biology through a review of open data and analysis code associated with empirical studies on three debated paradigms and for unrelated studies published in leading journals in comparative physiology and behavioural ecology over the last 10 years. Nineteen per cent of studies on the three paradigms had open data, and 3.2% had open code. Similarly, 12.1% of studies in the journals we examined had open data, and 3.1% had open code. Previous research indicates that only 50% of shared datasets are complete and re-usable, suggesting that fewer than 10% of studies in experimental biology have usable open data. Encouragingly, our results indicate that reproducible research practices are increasing over time, with data sharing rates in some journals reaching 75% in recent years. Rigorous empirical research in experimental biology is key to understanding the mechanisms by which climate change affects organisms, and ultimately promotes evidence-based conservation policy and practice. We argue that a greater adoption of open science practices, with a particular focus on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) data and code, represents a much-needed paradigm shift towards improved transparency, cross-disciplinary integration, and consensus building to maximize the contributions of experimental biologists in addressing the impacts of environmental change on living organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique G Roche
- Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 5B6.,Institut de Biologie, Université de Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Graham D Raby
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9L 0G2
| | - Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Ern
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hanna Scheuffele
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Michael Skeeles
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Rachael Morgan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Anna H Andreassen
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jeff C Clements
- Aquaculture and Coastal Ecosystems, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Gulf Region, Moncton, NB, Canada, E1C 9B6
| | - Sarahdghyn Louissaint
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, H2V 0B3
| | - Fredrik Jutfelt
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Timothy D Clark
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Sandra A Binning
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, H2V 0B3
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