OSF

Investigation of Data Sharing Attitudes in the Context of a Meta-Analysis PsychologyPublic HealthPublic PolicySSMART

Joshua Polanin Mary Terzian

In this study, Joshua Polanin and Mary Terzian provide an explanation of why primary study authors are unwilling to share their data and evaluate whether sending a data-sharing agreement affects participants’ willingness to share IPD. They sampled and surveyed more than 700 researchers whose studies had been included in recently published meta-analyses, splitting the sample into control and treatment groups and using a hypothetical data-sharing agreement as an intervention. Participants who received a data-sharing agreement were more willing to share their data set, compared with control participants, even after controlling for demographics and pretest values (d = 0.65, 95% CI [0.39, 0.90]). A member of the control group is 24% more likely to share her data set should she receive the data-sharing agreement

These findings shed light on data-sharing practices, attitudes, and concerns and can be used to inform future meta-analysis projects seeking to collect IPD, as well as the field at large.

Publications associated with this project:

  • Polanin, Joshua R., and Mary Terzian. “A Data-Sharing Agreement Helps to Increase Researchers’ Willingness to Share Primary Data: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 106 (February 1, 2019): 60–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2018.10.006.