Meta-research: Using shared data to provide practical solutions for current research challenges

Research on research (RoR), or meta-research, is the study of research itself. In 2019, a group of meta-researchers and members of the SCTO’s Clinical Trial Unit Network interested in meta-research founded the Swiss clinical Trials Empirical Assessment & Methods (STEAM) working group to promote RoR in Switzerland. Specifically, STEAM aims to continually improve the quality, transparency, and value of Swiss clinical research through RoR. The first part of this article takes a brief look at why RoR is needed and describes its potential role in the Swiss clinical research arena. The second part of the article discusses the topic of data sharing in clinical research from a meta-research perspective.