Beyond guides, protocols and acronyms: Adoption of good modelling practices depends on challenging academia's status quo in ecology

Abstract

Implementing good modelling practices (GMP) in ecological sciences is key to improving scientific reliability. Despite the increased availability of guidelines and protocols detailing how principles such as FAIR and PERFICT can be implemented to improve good modelling practices, the sharing of code which can reproduce results and workflows remains remarkably low. In this work, we explore potential root causes of this discrepancy. We identify three key factors inherent to the current academic structure that, in our experience, might play a role in hindering a wider adoption of GMP: (1) acknowledgment of the time required to implement GMP in projects, (2) the lack of GMP and software development training among ecologists, and (3) perception of GMP as unrewarding in the short-term. We argue that there is an urgent need for systemic changes. Such changes include (1) a cultural shift to value the incorporation of GMP across projects, emphasising the need for explicit budget allocation and careful scheduling of its implementation, (2) redesigning academic curricula to explicitly include GMP and software development as fundamental disciplines in ecology, and (3) an increase in recognition of open and functional code and workflows for career advancement. We call for concerted efforts for bridging this gap, and propose a hopeful outlook emphasising the role of a new generation of scientists and tools committed to good science. Proposing concrete actions, we aim to start a discussion on challenging academia's status quo in ecology and support scientists in bringing a significant paradigm shift to ecological modelling.