These names were things likeMARCH1,SEPT1,Oct-4,jun, and so on.
Our 2016 article indicated that the problem affected middle and high ranking journals at roughly equal rates.
An ongoing problem
Earlier this year we repeated our analysis.
It seems the problem has not gone away and is actually getting worse.
Anyone reusing these supplementary data files will find this small set of genes missing or corrupted.
We believe the errors matter because they raise questions about how these errors can sneak into scientific publications.
An example list of gene names in Excel.
This compromised contact tracing efforts for eight days while case numbers were rapidly growing.
Better tools are available
Spreadsheets are versatile and useful, but they have their limitations.
However, it is still common for scientists to use Excel files to share their supplementary data online.
Clearly, genomic science does not represent a common use case.
Any data set larger than 100 rows is just not suitable for a spreadsheet.
Researchers in data-intensive fields (particularly in the life sciences) need better computer skills.
