- Imminent Application to Research on COVID-19 Pandemic Expected, among Others -

Japan’s CJS Inc. released the website SciGen.Report ( https://scigen.report/ ) on March 20 as a platform for researchers to share information about the reproducibility of scientific publications. Amidst soaring worldwide concerns regarding COVID-19 and expedition of related publications, SciGen.Report permits swift information sharing to keep up with research pace, contributing to controlling the pandemic.

Photos: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/202003278540?p=images

Usually, researchers have to evaluate the correctness of publications they refer to in their own research projects. However, they rely on their own efforts or their personal networks to assess published research and determine whether they can be replicated or not and to what extent. This process takes time and there is hardly any register left of such reproduction efforts since most trials cannot be published as new discoveries.

One of the developers in the R&D division of the Kyoto-based company, himself Ph.D. in engineering, felt the need for such a service while replicating scientific papers. The website was scheduled to go into beta release later in April, but the recent COVID-19 pandemic prompted its early release, on March 20.

Currently, COVID-19 research papers have been expedited through the publishing process, and with undergoing isolation measures, scientists and industry researchers may have a hard time gathering and discussing reproducibility status.

This new website is open for everyone without charge, both for viewing and submitting replication results, posted via a simple form. Users may:

1. Check reproducibility status by searching for a DOI ( Digital Object Identifier ). Researchers, institutions, funding agencies and media may profit from this information.

2. Post reproducibility reviews -- how successful they were on reproducing results and to what extent. The long-lived and readily available review storage enables users to refer easily to them at will.

Following the release, the company expects to include new features like author notification, post evaluation, and a user reputation system in the next two years.

About CJS Inc.

CJS Inc. gathers researchers from various fields, like physics, medicine, and economics, offering high-end consultancy and services, including in AI, IoT, simulations, and more, to research institutes and industrial R&D entities.

Source: CJS Inc.