Title |
A living document: reincarnating the research article
|
---|---|
Published in |
Trials, April 2015
|
DOI | 10.1186/s13063-015-0666-5 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Daniel R Shanahan |
Abstract |
The limitations of the traditional research paper are well known and widely discussed; however, rather than seeking solutions to the problems created by this model of publication, it is time to do away with a print era anachronism and design a new model of publication, with modern technology embedded at its heart. Instead of the current system with multiple publications, across multiple journals, publication could move towards a single, evolving document that begins with trial registration and then extends to include the full protocol and results as they become available, underpinned by the raw clinical data and all code used to obtain the result. This model would lead to research being evaluated prospectively, based on its hypothesis and methodology as stated in the study protocol, and move away from considering serendipitous results to be synonymous with quality, while also presenting readers with the opportunity to reliably evaluate bias or selective reporting in the published literature. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 34 | 28% |
United States | 15 | 13% |
Italy | 4 | 3% |
Germany | 4 | 3% |
Canada | 4 | 3% |
France | 3 | 3% |
Spain | 3 | 3% |
Mexico | 2 | 2% |
Indonesia | 2 | 2% |
Other | 12 | 10% |
Unknown | 37 | 31% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 77 | 64% |
Scientists | 24 | 20% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 11 | 9% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 8 | 7% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 4% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
Canada | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 41 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 8 | 18% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 6 | 13% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 6 | 13% |
Researcher | 5 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 7% |
Other | 8 | 18% |
Unknown | 9 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 10 | 22% |
Computer Science | 6 | 13% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 4 | 9% |
Social Sciences | 4 | 9% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 3 | 7% |
Other | 6 | 13% |
Unknown | 12 | 27% |