Quantifying research waste in ecology

Research inefficiencies can generate huge waste: evidence from biomedical research has shown that most research is avoidably wasted and steps have been taken to tackle this costly problem. Although other scientific fields could also benefit from identifying and quantifying waste and acting to reduce it, no other estimates of research waste are available. Given that ecological issues interweave most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we argue that tackling research waste in ecology should be prioritized. Our study leads the way. We estimate components of waste in ecological research based on a literature review and a meta-analysis. Shockingly, our results suggest only 11-18% of conducted ecological research reaches its full informative value. All actors within the research system-including academic institutions, policymakers, funders and publishers-have a duty towards science, the environment, study organisms and the public, to urgently act and reduce this considerable yet preventable loss. We discuss potential ways forward and call for two major actions: (1) further research into waste in ecology (and beyond); (2) focused development and implementation of solutions to reduce unused potential of ecological research. Using a literature review and meta-analysis, the authors quantify the proportion of ecological research that is wasted because of poor study design and implementation, or because the work remains unpublished.

Automated summary

This study estimates the waste in ecological research based on a literature review and meta-analysis, revealing that only 11-18% of conducted research in ecology reaches its full informative value. The authors call for urgent actions to reduce this preventable loss and suggest further research on waste in ecology as well as the development of solutions to maximize the potential of ecological research.