How governments influence public health research: a scoping review

Governments can become involved in academic research to assist in public health decision-making. However, when governments become involved, the research process can be influenced away from academic research practices, jeopardizing research integrity. 

This review aimed to improve understanding of this by (i) establishing the extent of literature about government influence on research, (ii) detailing key characteristics of influence, and (iii) identifying gaps meriting future investigation. We conducted a scoping review to identify relevant literature by searching five electronic databases and grey literature. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full-text. 

Extracted data included the source, characteristics of the research projects, and the influence reported. Results were categorized and analysed using numerical summaries and narrative synthesis.