Elicitation of contexts for discovering clinical trials and related health data: An interview study

In this project, we investigated the range of contexts of data discovery faced by clinical trials
researchers, to better understand crucial factors that influence data discoverability and lead
to data reuse. Our findings connect ways researchers both initiate personal data journeys
and follow highly managed processes of data selection criteria. The project demonstrates
the need for a holistic view in understanding data discovery approaches by clinical trials
researchers.
Our findings suggest the significance of prioritising user information needs for selecting and
using datasets. As using a dataset involves a complex process of conducting secondary
data analysis within a research project, it is important for data repositories to focus on
meeting the objectives of system design at this level, which go beyond the scope of
traditional information retrieval systems such as online databases and search engines. Data
repositories need to consider ways to specify their objectives of system design for the data
discovery systems and services.