Research produces a broad and diverse range of output, but emerging evidence suggests that significant effort is wasted every year, with only a small proportion of output being published and made available as information. Factors as inefficiencies and duplication of effort can lead to the production of huge amounts of research waste: research with very limited or no information value, and/or unavailable to other researchers, policymakers, institutions, or the general public.
Recent studies have estimated research waste in medicine and ecology as amounting to approximately 85% of total research produced in those fields.1,2 Tackling this issue is crucial to reduce the unused potential of research, ensure an efficient use of funding resources and to ultimately advance scientific knowledge.
Researchers, publishers, research institutions, funders and policy makers are invited to attend the upcoming virtual Symposium on Research Waste to discuss this issue and possible solutions. The event will take place online on 19 April 2023, 9:00-10:30 CET, as part of the free virtual sessions preceding the Meta-science 2023 conference.
Register by filling the following form https://forms.gle/Wj99TYpWGRm2HJJX7 or by emailing Antica Culina a.culina@nioo.knaw.nl
Panellists
- Dr. Simon Harold (editor, Nature Ecology & Evolution)
- Prof. Eva Mendez (Universidad Carlos III Madrid, CoARA)
- Dr. Maria Cruz (Open Science policy officer at NWO)
- Dr. Henry Edouard Tonnang (researcher International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and Global Young Academy Alumni)
- Dr. Ana Persic (UNESCO Open Science)
- Prof. Fiona Fidler (researcher University of Melbourne, psychology)
- Prof. Paul Glasziou (researcher Bond University, medicine)
- Antica Culina (researcher Ruđer Bošković Institute, ecology)
Questions to the panellists can be submitted in advance via the following form: https://forms.gle/Wj99TYpWGRm2HJJX7
1Purgar, M., Klanjscek, T. & Culina, A. Quantifying research waste in ecology. Nat Ecol Evol 6, 1390–1397 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01820-0
2Chalmers, I. & Glasziou, P. Avoidable waste in the production and reporting of research evidence. Lancet 374, 86–89 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60329-9
