A look back on some of our most popular news stories of the past twelve months illustrates some of the key updates in 2018, and gives a chance to check you didn't miss anything important:
- Our GDPR guidance were our most popular pages last year, and our stories reporting on the progress of the guidance were similarly popular. The guidance remains a vital resource for researchers.
- Our updated guidance on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training comes next, as we confirmed researcher training should be focused on appropriate qualifications and training for their role. The story was prompted by a joint statement with the MHRA.
- New version of UK-wide model Non-Commercial Agreement (mNCA) published. The
mNCA is a template used to agree the relationship between, and the
responsibilities of, non-commercial sponsors and their research sites in
relation to specific studies.
- Transparency, public involvement, safety and proportionality must be at
the centre of UK health research. That was what our UK policy framework demanded. The news story was actually published in October 2017, but the framework remains a very popular page.
- Finally, a story from 2018 that looks to 2019 and beyond, as we published a joint statement with the MHRA on seeking and documenting consent using electronic methods. eConsent seems likely to reman an important issue, and our statement was part of our ongoing work to encourage researchers to take a more proportionate approach to seeking consent from research participants.