The Publisher Problem
Why do we rely solely on publicly available data at Iquant? As Iquant’s senior data scientist, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the source of the information that’s available to us. The choice to use only publicly available data isn’t one that we took lightly. The high cost of premium data services might be the most obvious reason, but on a deeper level we are fundamentally opposed to the excessive, profit-driven model employed by both scientific publishing and other data services companies.
These complaints are by no means revolutionary. For upwards of 20 years there has been a growing movement towards open access to publications along with louder criticism of the pay-per-view science and institutionally priced subscription services models. Open access could be a solution, but unfortunately, open access publishers continue to collect their toll. They simply have shifted the costs from consumers to those submitting their work through increasingly exorbitant processing fees. In the quest for greater scientific understanding, this becomes an unethical roadblock.
These publishing business models have unfortunately created a scientific information landscape that resembles the rest of our society. One where the ‘haves’ maintain their status without impediment, while the ‘have-nots’ continue to struggle for the recognition and impact they clearly deserve. This inequality within the scientific community poses all the same problems that it does within society as a whole. New, exciting thinking could be lost – whether merely by circumstance and location, or more nefariously by publishers enforcing their own bias. Can we trust the impartiality of a system when the driving motivation seems not to be advancement of knowledge, but rather, ever-increasing profits?
At Iquant, we’re simply not able to justify supporting such a system – not as some grand gesture (our size precludes anything using the word grand) – but simply because we view ourselves first and foremost as scientists, who fundamentally believe in the principles of transparency and diversity of thought.
This inequality within the scientific community poses all the same problems that it does within society as a whole.
– Ben Verdoorn, Senior Data Scientist
Publishers would have you believe that all the answers are waiting to be accessed behind their paywalls, but data means very little without careful analysis. I believe that there exists a vast trove of knowledge and insight to be found in public, open access, sources. While the information is freely accessible, at Iquant we have the skills necessary to synthesize it into valuable results. By extracting and carefully analyzing all the information available we are in a position to create novel insights and draw compelling conclusions from freely available data. This is why we built the Iquant Engine, to help other scientists reach their goals without contributing to a system that we profoundly disagree with.
Our Services
Let us know how we can help enhance your research.
We work with scientists, drug discovery professionals, pharmaceutical companies and researchers to create custom reports and precision analytics to fit your project's needs – with more transparency, on tighter timelines, and prices that make sense.
The Publisher Problem
Why do we rely solely on publicly available data at Iquant? As Iquant’s senior data scientist, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the source of the information that’s available to us. The choice to use only publicly available data isn’t one that we took lightly. The high cost of premium data services might be the most obvious reason, but on a deeper level we are fundamentally opposed to the excessive, profit-driven model employed by both scientific publishing and other data services companies.
These complaints are by no means revolutionary. For upwards of 20 years there has been a growing movement towards open access to publications along with louder criticism of the pay-per-view science and institutionally priced subscription services models. Open access could be a solution, but unfortunately, open access publishers continue to collect their toll. They simply have shifted the costs from consumers to those submitting their work through increasingly exorbitant processing fees. In the quest for greater scientific understanding, this becomes an unethical roadblock.
These publishing business models have unfortunately created a scientific information landscape that resembles the rest of our society. One where the ‘haves’ maintain their status without impediment, while the ‘have-nots’ continue to struggle for the recognition and impact they clearly deserve. This inequality within the scientific community poses all the same problems that it does within society as a whole. New, exciting thinking could be lost – whether merely by circumstance and location, or more nefariously by publishers enforcing their own bias. Can we trust the impartiality of a system when the driving motivation seems not to be advancement of knowledge, but rather, ever-increasing profits?
At Iquant, we’re simply not able to justify supporting such a system – not as some grand gesture (our size precludes anything using the word grand) – but simply because we view ourselves first and foremost as scientists, who fundamentally believe in the principles of transparency and diversity of thought.
Publishers would have you believe that all the answers are waiting to be accessed behind their paywalls, but data means very little without careful analysis. I believe that there exists a vast trove of knowledge and insight to be found in public, open access, sources. While the information is freely accessible, at IQuant we have the skills necessary to synthesize it into valuable results. By extracting and carefully analyzing all the information available we are in a position to create novel insights and draw compelling conclusions from freely available data. This is why we built the Iquant Engine, to help other scientists reach their goals without contributing to a system that we profoundly disagree with.
Our Services
Let us know how we can help enhance your research.
We work with scientists, drug discovery professionals, pharmaceutical companies and researchers to create custom reports and precision analytics to fit your project's needs – with more transparency, on tighter timelines, and prices that make sense.