key: cord-0872453-cf4533gw
authors: Koo, Malcolm
title: Research publications during public health emergencies
date: 2020-05-14
journal: Tzu Chi Med J
DOI: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_40_20
sha: cfc79b8add036c70721e6c76fdc27e02f8eddbbb
doc_id: 872453
cord_uid: cf4533gw

nan

At the time of global public health emergencies, such as the current 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19) [1] , research articles on the topic are appearing at an ever-accelerating rate [2] . While the PubMed bibliographic database is arguably the most convenient and comprehensive online resource for accessing peer-reviewed biomedical literature, there are other sources to consider when timely information is a critical concern.

With the initiative put forward by the Wellcome Trust in response to the Zika virus outbreak in 2016 [3] , various major publishers and organizations have committed to make research findings relevant to global public health emergencies available as rapidly and openly as possible [ Table 1 ]. With this, researchers can benefit from timely and free access to all relevant peer-reviewed research publications, including those otherwise accessible by subscription only.

A notable difference in the way of publishing research results between now and the past is the increased embracement of preprints by researchers in the biomedical field. On the one hand, preprints can dramatically increase both the speed and the visibility of research by posting reports online before a formal peer-review process. An article on the discovery and potential origin of COVID-19 posted on bioRxiv on January 23 has received over 206,000 downloads and was mentioned by 69 news outlets within a month [4] . On the other hand, they can open up the possibility of trading off accuracy with immediacy as well as a concern for misuse or misinterpretation. A case in point was the publication of an article on bioRxiv that claimed to find "uncanny similarities"

World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

How many papers have been published? Nature 2020

Statement on Data Sharing in Public Health Emergencies

Discovery of a novel coronavirus associated with the recent pneumonia outbreak in humans and its potential bat origin

Uncanny similarity of unique inserts in the 2019-nCoV spike protein to HIV-1 gp120 and gag

How to cite this article: Koo M. Research publications during public health emergencies