The Mistrust of Science
The Mistrust of Science
Science has never been more powerful, but it is under attack.
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The Natural Selection of Bad Science
The persistence of poor methods results partly from incentives that favor them, leading to the natural selection of bad science. This dynamic requires no conscious strategizing - no deliberate cheating nor loafing - by scientists, only that publication is a principle factor for career advancement.
Integrity or impact? Confessions of an early career researcher
The reality of academia is stifling the passion and creativity needed both to enjoy science, and to do it well.
Confessions of a Wasteful Scientist
Three of my projects appeared last week on a senator's list of questionable research. Allow me to explain...
Last Week Tonight: Scientific Studies
John Oliver discusses how and why media outlets so often report untrue or incomplete information as science.
Is most published research really false?
A discussion of the common underpinning problems with the scientific and data analytic practices and point to tools and behaviors that can be implemented to reduce the problems with published scientific results.
Denmark and Sweden take another look at how they investigate scientific misconduct
After a series of scandals in Nordic science, Denmark and Sweden are rethinking how they investigate allegations of academic fraud and misconduct.
This scientist nearly went to jail for making up data
An Australian neuroscientist just pleaded guilty to fraud but received a suspended sentence for his research misconduct.
Criminologists scrutinise academia in wake of scientific scandals
Scientific misconduct increasingly studied as example of ‘occupational crime’, researcher says.
Set up a ‘self-retraction’ system for honest errors
Notices should make obvious whether a withdrawal of research is the result of misconduct or a genuine mistake, says Daniele Fanelli.
Academics admit feeling pressure to embellish possible impact of research
In the race to apply for research funding, writing statements about future impact can feel like a charade.
An unhealthy obsession with p-values is ruining science
A new study shows that p-values have become more popular — and more meaningless — over time.
Saving Science from the Scientists, Part 2
Alok Jha examines the practices and cultures that can undermine the integrity of science.
Science vs. Science News: (Un)Warranted Distrust
Our reverence for science has led to a culture of "new findings" and sensationalistic headlines.
Statisticians Found One Thing They Can Agree On: It’s Time To Stop Misusing P-Values
The p-value was never intended to be a substitute for scientific reasoning.
Saving science from the scientists
Is science quite as scientific as it's supposed to be? After years of covering science in the news, Alok Jha began to wonder whether science is as rigorous as it should be.
Why is it so damn hard to get a paper retracted?
Despite the real-time scrutiny of internet publication, getting a paper retracted or corrected turns out to be nearly impossible.
How quality control could save your science
It may not be sexy, but quality assurance is becoming a crucial part of lab life.
Don't let transparency damage science
Stephan Lewandowsky and Dorothy Bishop explain how the research community should protect its members from harassment, while encouraging the openness that has become essential to science.
How scientists are doing a bait-and-switch with medical data
Researchers are “choosing their lottery numbers after seeing the draw”, making medicine less reliable - and respected journals are letting them do it.
Why researchers keep citing retracted papers
Some papers cite the retracted work to examine the retraction itself. Others may simply be pointing out that the findings of a withdrawn paper have been proven false.
Use of positive and negative words in scientific PubMed abstracts between 1974 and 2014
Use of positive and negative words in scientific PubMed abstracts between 1974 and 2014
Analyzing three decades' worth of PubMed-indexed abstracts, scientists find a notable increase in the frequency of positive words, like "innovative" and "novel", over time.
Secret dossier on research fraud suggests government concern over science
‘Too many institutions’ are ready to ‘sweep fraud under the carpet’.
The distribution of probability values in medical abstracts
The distribution of p-values in reported medical abstracts provides evidence for systematic error in the reporting of p-values..
Chief Coca-Cola scientist leaves amid criticism over obesity research
Research shifted focus away from harms of sugary drinks to exercise benefits.
Are more retractions due to more scrutiny?
The question has actually been addressed in the scientific literature and the data don’t seem to support this assumption.
How much should scientists check other scientists' work?
A debate is growing in the research world over the value of replicating older, peer-reviewed studies.
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