Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39567243›Full record

ArticleEcology2025

Functional R code is rare in species distribution and abundance papers.

Kenneth F Kellner, Jeffrey W Doser, Jerrold L Belant

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Ecology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Kenneth F KellnerDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6755-0555
Jeffrey W DoserDepartment of Integrative Biology, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8950-9895
Jerrold L BelantDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.

Funding

Boone and Crockett Program in Wildlife Conservation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Analytic reproducibility is important for scientific credibility in ecology, but the extent to which scientific literature meets this criterion is not well understood. We surveyed 497 papers published in 2018-2022 in 9 ecology-related journals. We focused on papers that used hierarchical models to estimate species distribution and abundance. We determined if papers achieved two components of analytic reproducibility: (1) availability of data and code, and (2) code functionality. We found that 28% of papers made data and code available, and 7% of papers provided code that ran without errors. Our findings indicate that analytic reproducibility remains the exception rather than the rule in ecology literature. We recommend authors (1) test code in a separate clean environment; (2) simplify code structure; (3) minimize software packages used; and (4) minimize code run time. We suggest journals (1) validate authors' provided open data statements and URLs; (2) recommend that code and data be shared in a separate repository rather than as appendices; and (3) elevate the status of code and data during review. We suggest these guidelines can aid the ecology community by improving the scientific reproducibility and credibility of ecological research.

Indexed as

EcologySoftwareAnimalsPeriodicals as TopicReproducibility of Resultsabundanceanalytic reproducibilitycomputational reproducibilitydistributionhierarchical models

Identifiers

PMID39567243
PMCPMC11731496

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.