A survey on research transparency: do participate!

The UK Health Research Authority (HRA) is conducting a survey on transparency in research that can be responded until Friday, 28 of September. The survey is aimed primarily at researchers, sponsors and funders, but is open to anyone with an interest in the transparency in research, including patients, caregivers and citizens in general. “Our work with patients and the public plays a huge role in guiding our work and decisions. We want to work more with the public, to demonstrate to them the value of research and the impact that it has on all of our lives”, declared Teresa Allen, the Chief Executive at HRA. The Authority is looking at determining the obstacles that currently impair the publication of complete research reports, in order to find opportunities for improvement in the dissemination of study findings.

“Researchers must share their findings so that others can learn from these and understand what does and does not work”, said Bill Davidson, the Head of Policy at HRA. ““However, we can’t make improvements until we have a very clear picture of what the problems and barriers are.”

The survey takes only 7-10 minutes to complete, and it has 14 questions, some open, some closed.

The HRA is one of a number of organisations that work together in the UK to regulate different aspects of health and social care research, with the core purpose to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public. They are interested in people’s views about transparency in research and have been conducting a survey to determine what the current obstacles are, identify future opportunities and drive best practice around publication and dissemination of study findings.