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Blatch-Jones AJ, Lakin K, Thomas S. A scoping review on what constitutes a good research culture. F1000Res 2024; 13:324. [PMID: 38826614 PMCID: PMC11140362 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.147599.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The crisis in research culture is well documented, covering issues such as a tendency for quantity over quality, unhealthy competitive environments, and assessment based on publications, journal prestige and funding. In response, research institutions need to assess their own practices to promote and advocate for change in the current research ecosystem. The purpose of the scoping review was to explore ' What does the evidence say about the 'problem' with 'poor' research culture, what are the benefits of 'good' research culture, and what does 'good' look like?' Aims To examine the peer-reviewed and grey literature to explore the interplay between research culture, open research, career paths, recognition and rewards, and equality, diversity, and inclusion, as part of a larger programme of activity for a research institution. Methods A scoping review was undertaken. Six databases were searched along with grey literature. Eligible literature had relevance to academic research institutions, addressed research culture, and were published between January 2017 to May 2022. Evidence was mapped and themed to specific categories. The search strategy, screening and analysis took place between April-May 2022. Results 1666 titles and abstracts, and 924 full text articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 253 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. A purposive sampling of relevant websites was drawn from to complement the review, resulting in 102 records included in the review. Key areas for consideration were identified across the four themes of job security, wellbeing and equality of opportunity, teamwork and interdisciplinary, and research quality and accountability. Conclusions There are opportunities for research institutions to improve their own practice, however institutional solutions cannot act in isolation. Research institutions and research funders need to work together to build a more sustainable and inclusive research culture that is diverse in nature and supports individuals' well-being, career progression and performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Jane Blatch-Jones
- School of Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation, University of Southampton, Southampton, England, SO16 7NS, UK
| | - Kay Lakin
- Hatch, School of Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation, University of Southampton, Southampton, England, SO16 7NS, UK
| | - Sarah Thomas
- Hatch, School of Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation, University of Southampton, Southampton, England, SO16 7NS, UK
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Lee JS, Tyler ARB, Veinot TC, Yakel E. Now Is the Time to Strengthen Government-Academic Data Infrastructures to Jump-Start Future Public Health Crisis Response. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024; 10:e51880. [PMID: 38656780 PMCID: PMC11079773 DOI: 10.2196/51880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
During public health crises, the significance of rapid data sharing cannot be overstated. In attempts to accelerate COVID-19 pandemic responses, discussions within society and scholarly research have focused on data sharing among health care providers, across government departments at different levels, and on an international scale. A lesser-addressed yet equally important approach to sharing data during the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises involves cross-sector collaboration between government entities and academic researchers. Specifically, this refers to dedicated projects in which a government entity shares public health data with an academic research team for data analysis to receive data insights to inform policy. In this viewpoint, we identify and outline documented data sharing challenges in the context of COVID-19 and other public health crises, as well as broader crisis scenarios encompassing natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies. We then argue that government-academic data collaborations have the potential to alleviate these challenges, which should place them at the forefront of future research attention. In particular, for researchers, data collaborations with government entities should be considered part of the social infrastructure that bolsters their research efforts toward public health crisis response. Looking ahead, we propose a shift from ad hoc, intermittent collaborations to cultivating robust and enduring partnerships. Thus, we need to move beyond viewing government-academic data interactions as 1-time sharing events. Additionally, given the scarcity of scholarly exploration in this domain, we advocate for further investigation into the real-world practices and experiences related to sharing data from government sources with researchers during public health crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Sin Lee
- School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | | | - Tiffany Christine Veinot
- School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Learning Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Elizabeth Yakel
- School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Tovey D, Tricco AC. Editors' choice: Jan 2024. J Clin Epidemiol 2024; 165:111248. [PMID: 38336453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
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Sofi-Mahmudi A, Raittio E, Uribe SE. Transparency of COVID-19-related research: A meta-research study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288406. [PMID: 37494359 PMCID: PMC10370694 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We aimed to assess the adherence to five transparency practices (data availability, code availability, protocol registration and conflicts of interest (COI), and funding disclosures) from open access Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related articles. METHODS We searched and exported all open access COVID-19-related articles from PubMed-indexed journals in the Europe PubMed Central database published from January 2020 to June 9, 2022. With a validated and automated tool, we detected transparent practices of three paper types: research articles, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and reviews. Basic journal- and article-related information were retrieved from the database. We used R for the descriptive analyses. RESULTS The total number of articles was 258,678, of which we were able to retrieve full texts of 186,157 (72%) articles from the database Over half of the papers (55.7%, n = 103,732) were research articles, 10.9% (n = 20,229) were review articles, and less than one percent (n = 1,202) were RCTs. Approximately nine-tenths of articles (in all three paper types) had a statement to disclose COI. Funding disclosure (83.9%, confidence interval (CI): 81.7-85.8 95%) and protocol registration (53.5%, 95% CI: 50.7-56.3) were more frequent in RCTs than in reviews or research articles. Reviews shared data (2.5%, 95% CI: 2.3-2.8) and code (0.4%, 95% CI: 0.4-0.5) less frequently than RCTs or research articles. Articles published in 2022 had the highest adherence to all five transparency practices. Most of the reviews (62%) and research articles (58%) adhered to two transparency practices, whereas almost half of the RCTs (47%) adhered to three practices. There were journal- and publisher-related differences in all five practices, and articles that did not adhere to transparency practices were more likely published in lowest impact journals and were less likely cited. CONCLUSION While most articles were freely available and had a COI disclosure, adherence to other transparent practices was far from acceptable. A much stronger commitment to open science practices, particularly to protocol registration, data and code sharing, is needed from all stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi
- National Pain Centre, Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Seqiz Health Network, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Seqiz, Kurdistan
| | - Eero Raittio
- Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Sergio E Uribe
- Department of Conservative Dentistry and Oral Health, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
- School of Dentistry, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence, Headquarters at Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia
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Alves CPDL, Barreto Segundo JDD, da Costa GG, Pereira-Cenci T, Lima KC, Demarco FF, Crochemore-Silva I. How a few poorly designed COVID-19 studies may have contributed to misinformation in Brazil: the case for evidence-based communication of science. BMJ OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 5:e100202. [PMID: 35047704 PMCID: PMC8647590 DOI: 10.1136/bmjos-2021-100202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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Hamilton DG, Fraser H, Fidler F, McDonald S, Rowhani-Farid A, Hong K, Page MJ. Rates and predictors of data and code sharing in the medical and health sciences: Protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. F1000Res 2021; 10:491. [PMID: 34631024 PMCID: PMC8485098 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.53874.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have demonstrated low but increasing rates of data and code sharing within medical and health research disciplines. However, it remains unclear how commonly data and code are shared across all fields of medical and health research, as well as whether sharing rates are positively associated with implementation of progressive policies by publishers and funders, or growing expectations from the medical and health research community at large. Therefore this systematic review aims to synthesise the findings of medical and health science studies that have empirically investigated the prevalence of data or code sharing, or both. Objectives include the investigation of: (i) the prevalence of public sharing of research data and code alongside published articles (including preprints), (ii) the prevalence of private sharing of research data and code in response to reasonable requests, and (iii) factors associated with the sharing of either research output (e.g., the year published, the publisher's policy on sharing, the presence of a data or code availability statement). It is hoped that the results will provide some insight into how often research data and code are shared publicly and privately, how this has changed over time, and how effective some measures such as the institution of data sharing policies and data availability statements have been in motivating researchers to share their underlying data and code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Hamilton
- MetaMelb Research Group, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Hannah Fraser
- MetaMelb Research Group, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Fiona Fidler
- MetaMelb Research Group, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.,School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Steve McDonald
- School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Anisa Rowhani-Farid
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
| | - Kyungwan Hong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
| | - Matthew J Page
- School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
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