Assessing The Use of Reporting Guidelines and Other Open Science Practices in The Canadian Context
Despite existing research practices, a gap remains between the acknowledgment of open science (OS) principles and their implementation among Canadian biomedical researchers. This cross-sectional study evaluated the use of reporting guidelines (RGs) and OS practices in Canadian-funded articles from 2022. Data was extracted from multiple databases and analyzed descriptively. Out of the 307 articles examined, only 18 (6%) reported using RGs, 9 (3%) adhered to a completed checklist, and 3 (1%) registered their studies. Data sharing remained limited, with 60 (19%) making their data available. Transparency measures were scarce, with 14 (5%) using a study protocol. Regarding OS practices, 146 (48%) of articles were open access, yet preprint use (5.5%) and data management plans (0.3%) were rare. Only one replication study was identified. These findings reveal gaps in research transparency and OS adoption, emphasizing the need for awareness to improve research quality and reproducibility in Canada.