Clinical trial transparency at McGill University

Abstract

Transparency in clinical trials is an issue under considerable scrutiny at present, and rightfully so, given that people's lives are both used as a resource in such research and affected by its results. Hence, the results of clinical trials conducted should be made available in both journal articles and in open access trial registries (like ClinicalTrials.gov). The latter not only make research results more accessible to the general public but are also considered essential resources in systematic reviews to avoid publication bias. Yet, up to 89% of clinical trials conducted at McGill University are not reported in clinical trial registries, and up to 37% of the trials are not published. However, since most McGill University researchers use public funding to conduct trials on human subjects, they have an obligation to make their research freely accessible. Spreading awareness regarding this issue among key stakeholders is a possible way to reduce this problem and increase the transparency of clinical research at McGill University.

Keywords

• Clinical trial registries
• Transparency
• Human subject research