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The power of public information

A key characteristic of genomics has been that much of the new data and information is publicly available via the internet, which has:

  • Greatly increased the speed of research, by encouraging immediate access to new data
  • Reduced redundancy in research, since work can be made public so quickly
  • Encouraged collaborative research, since scientists can more easily share data and establish new contacts

     

     Remember, however, that it is so easy to publish data in public databases that quality control is an issue. Researchers must be careful to confirm all information they acquire from these sources