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Streetlight effect in PubPeer comments: are Open Access publications more scrutinized?

Author

Listed:
  • Abdelghani Maddi

    (GEMASS – CNRS – Sorbonne Université)

  • Emmanuel Monneau

    (GEMASS – CNRS – Sorbonne Université)

  • Catherine Guaspare-Cartron

    (GEMASS – CNRS – Sorbonne Université)

  • Floriana Gargiulo

    (GEMASS – CNRS – Sorbonne Université)

  • Michel Dubois

    (GEMASS – CNRS – Sorbonne Université)

Abstract

The Streetlight Effect represents an observation bias that occurs when individuals search for something only where it is easiest to look. Despite the significant development of Post-Publication Peer Review (PPPR) in recent years, facilitated in part by platforms such as PubPeer, existing literature has not examined whether PPPR is affected by this type of bias. In other words, if the PPPR mainly concerns publications to which researchers have direct access (eg to analyze image duplications, etc.). In this study, we compare the Open Access (OA) structures of publishers and journals among 51,882 publications commented on PubPeer to those indexed in OpenAlex database (#156,700,177). Our findings indicate that OA journals are 33% more prevalent in PubPeer than in the global total (52% for the most commented journals). This result can be attributed to disciplinary bias in PubPeer, with overrepresentation of medical and biological research (which exhibits higher levels of openness). However, after normalization, the results reveal that PPPR does not exhibit a Streetlight Effect, as OA publications, within the same discipline, are on average 16% less prevalent in PubPeer than in the global total. These results suggest that the process of scientific self-correction operates independently of publication access status.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdelghani Maddi & Emmanuel Monneau & Catherine Guaspare-Cartron & Floriana Gargiulo & Michel Dubois, 2024. "Streetlight effect in PubPeer comments: are Open Access publications more scrutinized?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(7), pages 4231-4247, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:7:d:10.1007_s11192-024-05053-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-024-05053-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Post-publication peer review; PPPR; Research integrity; PubPeer; Open Access; Streetlight effect; OpenAlex; Normalized open access index;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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