Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24411644›Full record

ArticleLancet (London, England)2014

How to increase value and reduce waste when research priorities are set.

Iain Chalmers, Michael B Bracken, Ben Djulbegovic, Silvio Garattini, Jonathan Grant, A Metin Gülmezoglu, David W Howells, John P A Ioannidis, Sandy Oliver

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Lancet (London, England), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 631 papers, 22 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
631citing papers in PubMed, 22 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

631 citing papers in PubMed, 22 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Developing a prioritized research agenda for necrotizing enterocolitis.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. [Correlation between hepatitis B virus infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes-a systematic review and meta-analysis].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2024
    Pooled it
  11. Pooled it
  12. Pooled it
  13. Pooled it
  14. Pooled it
  15. Pooled it
  16. Pooled it
  17. Pooled it
  18. Reducing waste in collection of quality-of-life data through better reporting: a case study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2022
    Pooled it
  19. Pooled it
  20. Pooled it

571 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Iain ChalmersJames Lind Initiative, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: ichalmers@jameslind.net.
Michael B BrackenSchool of Public Health and School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Ben DjulbegovicCenter for Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Outcomes Research, Division of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; Department of Hematology and Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
Silvio GarattiniIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
Jonathan GrantRAND Europe, Cambridge, UK.
A Metin GülmezogluUNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
David W HowellsFlorey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
John P A IoannidisStanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Research and Policy, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Statistics, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Sandy OliverInstitute of Education, London, UK.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The increase in annual global investment in biomedical research--reaching US$240 billion in 2010--has resulted in important health dividends for patients and the public. However, much research does not lead to worthwhile achievements, partly because some studies are done to improve understanding of basic mechanisms that might not have relevance for human health. Additionally, good research ideas often do not yield the anticipated results. As long as the way in which these ideas are prioritised for research is transparent and warranted, these disappointments should not be deemed wasteful; they are simply an inevitable feature of the way science works. However, some sources of waste cannot be justified. In this report, we discuss how avoidable waste can be considered when research priorities are set. We have four recommendations. First, ways to improve the yield from basic research should be investigated. Second, the transparency of processes by which funders prioritise important uncertainties should be increased, making clear how they take account of the needs of potential users of research. Third, investment in additional research should always be preceded by systematic assessment of existing evidence. Fourth, sources of information about research that is in progress should be strengthened and developed and used by researchers. Research funders have primary responsibility for reductions in waste resulting from decisions about what research to do.

Indexed as

ResearchBiomedical ResearchCapital FinancingResearch Design

Identifiers

PMID24411644

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.