Prisoner's science

Decisions involving cooperation or competition are common in science. Here, we consider three situations frequently encountered in the biomedical sciences, namely, establishing priority, sharing reagents, and selecting a journal for publication, through the lens of the prisoner's dilemma. In each situation, cooperation is the best strategy for scientists and for science.

Automated summary

Decisions involving cooperation or competition are common in science. This article examines three common scenarios in biomedical sciences – establishing priority, sharing reagents, and selecting a journal for publication – using the prisoner's dilemma as a framework. In each situation, cooperation is found to be the optimal strategy for scientists and for the advancement of science.