As it was free and dead simple to use, there was no barrier to adoption; but the viral spread was only possible because it was such a big problem and it was so much better than the alternatives.
A spirit of openness is gaining acceptance in the science community, and is the only way, say advocates, to address a 'crisis' in science whereby too few findings are successfully reproduced.
"It's like how pilots train in a flight simulator," said Raymond Mar, an associate professor of psychology at York University, in Toronto, who has collaborated with Oatley.