The PLOS ONE peer-reviewed journal added a study by School of Information (iSchool) alumnus Muhamad Prabu Wibowo and iSchool associate professor Lorri Mon to their publication. The study, “Investigating the Practices and Preferences of Health Scholars in Sharing Open Research Data,” explores how health researchers engage with sharing open research data, their motivations, and the challenges they face.

“Through this publication, I hope to encourage further research on open data practices in health sciences and influence institutional policies to support more transparent and ethical data-sharing frameworks,” says Prabu.

The primary goal of this study was to not only examine the attitudes and behaviors of health scholars regarding open research data, but bridge the gaps in research data sharing to promote the best practices that facilitate more accessible and ethical data use.

The study identified a general concern with patient confidentiality, a lack of standardized data-sharing platforms, unclear policies, and fear of data misuse that further hinders data-sharing practices. It found that researchers are more likely to share data when strong institutional policies, clear incentives, and secure data management infrastructures are in place. It also found that scholars prefer repositories that ensure proper attribution, provide long-term data preservation, and align with ethical guidelines for health research.

These results produced one of the key takeaways of the study: a need for a cultural shift in academic and health research communities regarding open data sharing.

Prabu shares that publishing this study in PLOS ONE enhances the study’s potential impact by reaching a diverse and global audience. He welcomes discussions on how these findings can inform policy development, institutional strategies, and practical implementations to enhance open data adoption in health research. “Encouraging a dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and institutions will be essential to overcoming existing challenges and ensuring that open research data becomes a standard practice in the scientific community,” he says.