An Evaluation of the Openness of COVID-19-Related Randomized Control Trials

Friday, April 29, 2022

1:45 PM – 2:00 PM CT

Presenter and Author(s)

John A. Borghi

Manager, Research and Instruction
Lane Medical Library / Stanford Medicine
Stanford, California

Slides

Author(s)

CP

Cheyenne Payne

Graduate Student
Biology
CS

Christopher Stave, MLS

Graduate/Clinical Education Librarian
Lane Medical Library, Stanford University
Stanford, California
LR

Lily Ren, Master of Information

Research Communications Librarian
Lane Medical Library
Toronto, Ontario
CW

Connie Wong, DVM, MLIS, MPVM

Medical Education Librarian
Lane Medical Library
Amanda Woodward

Web Services Librarian
Stanford Lane Medical Library
Stanford, California

Objectives: Open science practices have received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the openness of COVID-19-related randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has yet to be comprehensively assessed. RCTs are frequently referred to as the “gold standard” of evidence which underscores the importance of ensuring their results are rigorous and transparent.

In this observational study, we are examining the openness of COVID-19 trials along several dimensions, including open access to publications, data sharing, preregistration, and the availability of other research materials (e.g. protocols).

Methods: After identifying published reports describing the results of COVID-19-related RCTs through a comprehensive literature search, we have begun to extract information- both from the reports themselves and from additional information sources (e.g. Unpaywall)- to characterize their degree of openness.

In this presentation, we will discuss our preliminary findings as well as how we used this effort to gain experience implementing open science practices ourselves.