Jeremy Berg, the incoming editor-in-chief of Science magazine, will be grappling with a number of issues plaguing science and science publishing when he takes over that role, Retraction Watch's Shannon Palus writes.
Berg has previously supported efforts to bolster reproducibility and transparency, Palus notes. He tells her that there are a number of efforts aimed at improving reproducibility underway at Science, but as he hasn't started the position yet — he's to take the helm in July — he needs to catch up on what's already been done. He says various issues could be behind the irreproducibility problem and, to be effective, any response has to be tailored to that issue.
He also notes that there are efforts afoot to improve transparency. In his 2012 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology President's Message, Berg said he was in favor of increased transparency, though with some caveats, Palus adds. Those provisos, he tells her, referred to personal health or salary information that would not ethical to share.
Berg also says he supports wide accessibility of scientific articles and information, but that there needs to be a business model that support that accessibility while also covering the journal's costs.