Weekly digest: rebuilding research trust, open science perceptions and upcoming conferences

Jo Gordon

In our first weekly digest of 2023, we look at an article from December’s issue of Medical Writing that summarizes the 2022 Open Pharma Satellite Symposium. In other news, we look at a study on perceptions of open science from editors of Spanish scientific journals. We also read about a study estimating the levels of patient and public involvement in healthcare research. Finally, we share the details of three exciting and upcoming conferences taking place in the first half of 2023.

To read:

Rebuilding public trust by improving access via Medical Writing | 10-minute read

We start 2023 with an article summarizing the Open Pharma Satellite Symposium, which we held at the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers Annual Conference and Awards 2022 in Manchester, UK. Written by our very own Alison Chisholm, the article summarizes one of the main questions of the symposium – ‘How can we improve trust in pharmaceutical research?’ – which focused on the links between the accessibility of medical publications and the level of public trust in the reported outcomes. Potential approaches to improve accessibility and foster trust in pharma research are reviewed, including the implementation of open access and plain language summary mandates. You can read more about the Open Pharma Satellite Symposium here.

Spanish scientific journal editors’ perceptions of open science via Learned Publishing | 40-minute read

Published in December 2022, this research analysed the open science perceptions and practices of editors of scientific journals published in Spain by using online interviews and questionnaires. Of the 420 journal editors who responded, the majority (92%) reported that their journals were open access, but only 2% conducted open peer review as this was perceived as a difficult policy to implement.

Patient involvement in healthcare research via The Publication Plan | 3-minute read

Just how common is patient and public involvement in healthcare research? Have a read of this bitesize summary of a study designed to answer this exact question that was published in BMJ Open in 2021. In this cross-sectional analysis of 3000 original research articles published by BMJ Open in 2020, approximately 21% included patient and public involvement, although proportions varied depending on research location, method, topic and funding source.

Did you read what Open Pharma has been up to recently in our quarterly update? Read it here!

To engage with:

Metascience 2023 Conference via Center for Open Science

The Center for Open Science are calling for proposals for their in-person conference that will take place in Washington DC on 9–10 May 2023, with virtual pre-conference events throughout late April and early May. This global conference aims to provide an environment to facilitate the development of a roadmap of priorities to accelerate advancement, translation and application of research.

APAC Showcase 2023 via figshare

Registrations have opened for the Digital Science Asia-Pacific (APAC) Showcase 2023 that will take place in Melbourne, Australia on 28 February–2 March 2023. This conference aims to showcase the latest products from digital science companies that collectively support the digital research ecosystem of publications. This will be the first in-person Digital Science APAC Showcase in 3 years and will include portfolios from Altmetric, Dimensions, figshare, Ripeta and Symplectic.

ISMPP Europe 2023 via ISMPP

Registration for the 2023 European Meeting of ISMPP closes on 10 January 2023. Taking place in London between 24 and 25 January with the theme Fueling Creativity, the conference will explore the science of creativity and its application in problem solving, innovation and facilitation in medical publications and communication.

Have you read the December 2022 issue of Medical Writing about Open Science and Open Pharma? Read the full issue here!