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'Junk Science' is Being Used in Australian Courtrooms, and Wrongful Convictions Are at Stake
'Junk Science' is Being Used in Australian Courtrooms, and Wrongful Convictions Are at Stake
To Share is to Be a Scientist
Science is Not the Only Form of Knowledge but It is the Best
Science is Not the Only Form of Knowledge but It is the Best
Science is not the only form of knowledge but it is the best, being the most successful epistemic enterprise in history.
Research Must Do No Harm: New Guidance Addresses All Studies Relating to People
Research Must Do No Harm: New Guidance Addresses All Studies Relating to People
Springer Nature editors urge consideration of the potential harms of all research relating to human populations, not just that directly involving human participants.
Why and how we should join the shift from significance testing to estimation
Why and how we should join the shift from significance testing to estimation
A paradigm shift away from null hypothesis significance testing seems in progress. Based on simulations, the article illustrates some of the underlying motivations.
Weaving Indigenous Knowledge into the Scientific Method
Scientists and funders with close links to local communities outline how Western teams can collaborate fairly and effectively with those groups.
Science Can't Be Pākehā or Māori, It's Just Science
"Science belongs to all of us and it is not an enemy of any culture."
Has Covid-19 Changed Researcher Behaviour?
We hope that the scale and reach of the Covid-19 pandemic will realise sustained change in the research culture, with openness and collaboration firmly embedded.
We Need Scientists to Quiz Covid Consensus, Not Act As Agents of Disinformation
We Need Scientists to Quiz Covid Consensus, Not Act As Agents of Disinformation
'I Thought I Had Messed Up My Experiment': How a Grad Student Discovered an Error That Might Affect Hundreds of Papers
'I Thought I Had Messed Up My Experiment': How a Grad Student Discovered an Error That Might Affect Hundreds of Papers
The Natural Selection of Bad Science
Poor research design and data analysis encourage false-positive findings. The persistence of poor methods results partly from incentives that favour them, leading to the natural selection of bad science.
Registered Reports: Peer Review Before Results Are Known to Align Scientific Values and Practices
Registered Reports: Peer Review Before Results Are Known to Align Scientific Values and Practices
Registered Reports emphasize the importance of the research question and the quality of methodology by conducting peer review prior to data collection. High quality protocols are then provisionally accepted for publication if the authors follow through with the registered methodology.
A New Vision for the Statistical Training of Scientists
Many of today's problems in science are substantially driven by deficits in statistical thinking and data skills that are common across the sciences. This opinion article justifies this position, and offers ways that these deficits might be addressed.
Meta-analyses Were Supposed to End Scientific Debates. Often, They Only Cause More Controversy
Meta-analyses Were Supposed to End Scientific Debates. Often, They Only Cause More Controversy
Compiling the evidence from dozens of studies doesn't always bring clarity.
How to Pick an Electronic Laboratory Notebook
Choosing wisely from a burgeoning array of digital tools can help researchers to record experiments with ease.
Point of View: Are Theoretical Results 'Results'?
There should be a prominent place for theory within biology papers, both as Results in papers that combine experiment and theory, and as Results in theory papers.
Developing a Modern Data Workflow for Living Data
Developing a Modern Data Workflow for Living Data
Using version control and continuous integration, to create a modern data management system.
Manipulating the Alpha Level Cannot Cure Significance Testing
Manipulating the Alpha Level Cannot Cure Significance Testing
When evaluating the strength of the evidence, we should consider auxiliary assumptions, the strength of the experimental design, and implications for applications. To boil all this down to a binary decision based on a p-value threshold is not acceptable.
Inferential Statistics, P-Values, and the Quest to Evaluate Our Hypotheses
Inferential Statistics, P-Values, and the Quest to Evaluate Our Hypotheses
P-values and significance testing have come under increasing scrutiny in scientific research. How accurate are these methods for indicating whether a hypothesis is valid?
Abandon Statistical Inference
Rather than focusing our study reports on uncertain conclusions, we should thus focus on describing accurately how the study was conducted, what problems occurred, and what analysis methods were used.
Squeaky Clean Mice Could Be Ruining Research
Most lab mice are kept in pristine conditions, but a few immunologists think a dose of dirt could make them a better model of human disease.
The Proposal to Lower P Value Thresholds to .005
John Ioannidis discusses the potential effects on clinical research of a 2017 proposal to lower the default P value threshold for statistical significance from .05 to .005 as a means to reduce false-positive findings.
Meta-Research: Why Research on Research Matters
Given that science is the key driver of human progress, improving the efficiency of scientific investigation and yielding more credible and more useful research results can translate to major benefits.
The Scientific Method - An Overview
Science is not a belief system. It is rather a defined process we can use to accurately answer questions and come to a better understanding of our natural world.
Inferential Statistics Is Not Inferential
Statistical significance and hypothesis testing are not really helpful when it comes to testing our hypotheses.
Electronic Lab Notebooks - For Prospective Users
Information for researchers who are interested in adopting an Electronic Lab Notebook system for documenting research and managing data.
What Does It Mean to Read the Literature, Really?
In a profession rewarding productivity in the form of papers and grants, sitting down to deeply read journal articles can feel like wasted time. Professor logs every paper she read over multiple years to gain insight on personal research practices.
Why 'Statistical Significance' Is Often Insignificant
Researchers who want professorships are sometimes driven to publish suspect findings.
Navigating Research
How academic users understand, discover, and utilize reference resources.