Abstract
Background: In medical research, data-sharing is crucial for advancing scientific understanding and innovation, particularly in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), where diverse reproductive health issues and maternal-fetal outcomes present unique challenges. Incorporating open data accessibility enhances research quality by allowing stakeholders to access study data, promoting transparency and collaboration. This study focuses on analyzing data-sharing statements in top OB/GYN journals to identify barriers to data availability in research, aiming ultimately to contribute to the enhancement of research quality.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis, following PRISMA guidelines, was conducted to examine DSS in major OB/GYN journals. Journals were selected from the Journal Citation Reports™, and the top five were selected using the 2023 journal impact score. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed) to locate studies within 2017-2023 to include for data extraction. Data extraction focused on data-sharing statement presence, study design, funding source, and publication year. Hierarchical logistic regression and thematic analysis were used to identify trends in data-sharing statements.
Results: Of the included clinical trials, over half did not contain a data-sharing statement (426/653, 65.24%). Our results indicated significant variability in data-sharing across journals and publishers. Theme assessment was then conducted on a total of 208 articles that had eligible data-sharing statements. Many data-sharing statements had a theme of conditional availability (154/208, 74.04%).
Conclusion: Our cross-sectional study reveals that DSS are often limited and vary by OB/GYN journal. While progress has been made in promoting data-sharing in OB/GYN research, significant challenges remain. Fully transparent and accessible research in OB/GYN will require effort, innovation, and collaboration across the scientific community.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis, following PRISMA guidelines, was conducted to examine DSS in major OB/GYN journals. Journals were selected from the Journal Citation Reports™, and the top five were selected using the 2023 journal impact score. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed) to locate studies within 2017-2023 to include for data extraction. Data extraction focused on data-sharing statement presence, study design, funding source, and publication year. Hierarchical logistic regression and thematic analysis were used to identify trends in data-sharing statements.
Results: Of the included clinical trials, over half did not contain a data-sharing statement (426/653, 65.24%). Our results indicated significant variability in data-sharing across journals and publishers. Theme assessment was then conducted on a total of 208 articles that had eligible data-sharing statements. Many data-sharing statements had a theme of conditional availability (154/208, 74.04%).
Conclusion: Our cross-sectional study reveals that DSS are often limited and vary by OB/GYN journal. While progress has been made in promoting data-sharing in OB/GYN research, significant challenges remain. Fully transparent and accessible research in OB/GYN will require effort, innovation, and collaboration across the scientific community.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| State | Published - 14 Feb 2025 |
| Event | Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Research Week 2025 - Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, United States Duration: 10 Feb 2025 → 14 Feb 2025 https://medicine.okstate.edu/research/research_days.html |
Conference
| Conference | Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Research Week 2025 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Tulsa |
| Period | 10/02/25 → 14/02/25 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- data sharing
- OB/GYN
- availability
- reproducibility
- transparency