Universities need to start experimenting on themselves

Internal meta research units could help tackle challenges of resourcing and culture, says Marcus Munafò

There is growing interest in meta research in the UK. Also known as metascience, or research-on-research, this is the study of the research ecosystem itself, using a range of methods from the sciences and social sciences.

The most recent example is the metascience unit created late last year by the previous government, and run jointly by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and UK Research and Innovation.