OPEN: EU

Results from clinical studies are an essential factor determining clinical decision making. It is therefore important that the results of all studies are presented in an unbiased and easily accessible manner. Health professionals and policymakers should make healthcare decisions based on the entire relevant research evidence, not on partial or skewed evidence. This, however, can frequently not be achieved, to a large part because a considerable amount of research findings are not published; this phenomenon is called publication bias. Publication bias results from the tendency of authors to submit, and of journals to accept, manuscripts for publication based on the direction or strength of the study findings. If manuscripts are not published because of an undesirable direction or perceived lack of strength of its findings, that evidence will not contribute towards advancing science. However, patients who participate in clinical research and the funding bodies who provide financial support do so with the clear understanding that their contributions will add to the progress of scientific knowledge. Publication bias therefore wastes considerable human and financial resources and skews the evidence base. The OPEN project is bringing together key opinion leaders from across Europe to address this issue.