Sharing Research Design, Methods and Process Information in and out of Academia

An interview study of (N=) 16 senior researchers at a major Canadian research university shows that researchers use a broad range of means to share information about research process, methods and design to different audiences. The purpose of sharing information on these aspects of research is to enable redoing and replicating earlier studies, to preserve knowledge of how studies were conducted, to understand data, and because of the social pressure to share. Time as a barrier and distance to overcome, disciplinary and contextual variation have a major impact on sharing. In the light of the findings, a one size fits all approach is unlikely to succeed. It is critical to choose appropriate methods that help to focus on what is relevant to share in particular disciplinary contexts, and for specific audiences and goals of transparency.