There is a long history of research about the scientific process, particularly with fields such as philosophy of science, sociology of science, and science-technology studies contributing unique insights about how science operates. There is also a growing cadre of researchers deploying modem methodologies and big data to investigate the scientific process.
Among these are researchers within disciplinary domains that are evaluating the state and quality of their research evidence or practices for advancing knowledge, such as conducting large-scale replication projects or evaluating the quality of peer review. There are also grassroots communities of researchers and research stakeholders with prescriptive aims, such as how can the research process and culture be improved to accelerate discovery? These groups apply the insights from metascientific investigations to intervene and improve research culture and practice by changing workflows, providing new tools or services, or by changing policies and incentives.
Finally, there are researchers invested in evaluating whether changes occurring in the research culture or practice are working as intended such as alterations to how grant funding is distributed, shifting the reward structures for researchers to advance their careers, or changing the peer review process to maximize the quality of published research.
Together, these communities of researchers and stakeholders are the research and development pipeline for improving research practices. The Metascience 2021 meeting will be a point of convergence to share knowledge, foster community, and define a roadmap of research and intervention priorities to accelerate science. Special thanks to the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) for their financial support to convene Metascience 2021.
