Describing the first 2000 registrations to the Research Registry®: A study protocol

Area of Science:

• Research methodology and data management
• Clinical research ethics and registration standards

Background:

• The Declaration of Helsinki (2013) mandates registration for human participant research.
• Existing registries primarily focus on clinical trials, leading to an estimated 90% under-registration of observational studies.
• The Research Registry® was established to provide a comprehensive registration platform for all study types involving human participants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the characteristics of the first 2000 registrations to the Research Registry®.
• To identify trends and changes in study registration over time.
• To assess the quality and funding sources of registered studies.

Main Methods:

• Data collected using a modified World Health Organisation minimum data set since 2015.
• Weekly curation to remove inappropriate or duplicate registrations.
• Calculation of a quality score for each registration by two independent teams, with inter-rater reliability assessment.
• Analysis of funding sources for registered studies.

Main Results:

• Presentation of the demographic and methodological characteristics of the initial 2000 registrations.
• Analysis of how these characteristics have evolved since the registry's inception.
• Summary of inter-rater reliability for registration quality assessment.
• Overview of funding landscapes for registered research.

Conclusions:

• The Research Registry® provides a valuable resource for tracking global research trends.
• Understanding registration patterns can inform future research policies and funding strategies.
• The registry aims to improve transparency and accessibility in human participant research.