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The data transparency crisis in research: Lessons from systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Saul Martin-Rodriguez1,2, Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalo1,2, David Moher3,4
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Plos Medicine
|June 16, 2026
Summary
Limited access to research data and code compromises systematic reviews, potentially leading to flawed clinical guidelines and patient safety issues. Stronger, enforceable data-sharing policies are needed to improve evidence synthesis and healthcare decisions.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Clinical Guidelines
- Evidence Synthesis
Background:
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are crucial for clinical guidelines and health policy.
- Limited access to underlying datasets and analytical code can compromise the validity of these reviews.
- Incomplete data leads to unverifiable assumptions, distorting findings and potentially misleading clinical decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical issue of inaccessible data in systematic reviews.
- To emphasize the negative impact of flawed evidence synthesis on healthcare.
- To advocate for improved data-sharing mechanisms and enforcement.
Main Methods:
- Policy analysis of current data-sharing practices.
- Review of consequences of inaccessible data in evidence synthesis.
- Argument for enhanced enforcement and verification in editorial workflows.
Main Results:
- Current data-sharing policies have low compliance and weak enforcement.
- Inaccessible datasets and code remain a significant barrier in research.
- Flawed evidence synthesis can negatively impact treatment recommendations and patient safety.
Conclusions:
- Strengthening enforceable data-sharing mechanisms is essential.
- Clearer enforcement and pragmatic verification are needed.
- Improved data accessibility will enhance the reliability of clinical guidelines and health policy.
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