Table 2.

Potential opposing interests of parties affected by access to trial protocols

	Supporting access	Opposing access
Trial investigators	Ensuring high quality research	Protecting intellectual secrets
Commercial sponsors	Ensuring high quality research	Protecting intellectual and commercial secrets
Non-commercial sponsors	Ensuring unbiased, high quality research, as originally approved
	Ensuring transparent, accurate reporting of methods and results
Research ethics committees	Ensuring unbiased, high quality ethical research that is consistent with approved protocol	Minimising administrative burden of retrieving archived documents
	Ensuring transparent, accurate reporting of methods and results
Study participants	Expecting transparent, high quality conduct and accurate, public reporting of studies in which they voluntarily participated
Public (especially future patients)	Expecting transparent, high quality conduct and accurate, public reporting of research to guide health care
Journals, peer reviewers, and readership	Ensuring transparent, accurate reporting of methods and results
Governments	Ensuring reliable research data for policy making