Laying the groundwork and designing for trust: why research protocols matter

The processes we use to conduct research have evolved over decades and centuries. These evolutions have been shaped by scientific advancements in practice, theory and technology, by community expectations, and through reflections on what we consider to be good research practice. One fundamental process that is not well represented in the public domain is the research protocol, particularly in health simulation and health professions education research. Research protocols provide detailed information about why and how research is being conducted. At present, it is not common practice for these documents to be made available to the broader community before data collection commences. Nor is it common practice for protocols to be reviewed alongside final project reports at the peer-review stage. This paper describes and discusses many of the reasons that a priori research protocols are increasingly being made publicly available through peer-reviewed publication or registration on open science platforms. These include the reduction of research waste, the increase in trust we can engender through transparency, and the opportunities we have to learn through the processes of conducting research, not just from the findings. Over time, and as a society, there have been important opportunities to consider the standard of research to which we aspire. We have an opportunity here to consider the foundations from which we are working, and to elevate the quality of our projects through strengthening these foundations. The careful design and publication and/or registration of a priori protocols is perhaps the next step we can take to increase the quality of our work and our standing in the scientific and health communities.