Every now and then, it’s good to read stories that force me to challenge my own opinions. This week, I read in the news that Philip Morris (PMI), the tobacco giant, have requested primary data from the University of Stirling from a research project into teenagers’ attitudes to smoking. That feels very wrong.
As regular readers of this blog will know, open access to scientific datasets is something I’ve long preached the benefits of. It allows scientists to reuse data in new and unpredicted ways, and underpins the culture of openness and trust that’s essential for fruitful engagement with a broad audience beyond the scientific community.
I think that being open and upfront about our data and methods, and willing to share these with the world, will foster trust in science at a time when science is crucial to addressing the mountainous challenges we face as a society.
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