tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20579732.post2410338144856008664..comments2023-11-02T03:06:33.037-07:00Comments on cargo cult scientist: Who Wants ItGinsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04147844947196103191noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20579732.post-40460820485947907442012-11-01T19:23:29.870-07:002012-11-01T19:23:29.870-07:00Some good points in your response.
I'm the sa...Some good points in your response.<br /><br />I'm the same individual that left that comment.<br /><br /><i>The incentives in reproducible science is that it leads to bigger and better things.</i> <br /><br />That's true but the problem from the standpoint of the producers and consumers of science is that the process of generating "bigger and better things" isn't rapid enough for them which leads science producers to over promise and under-deliver on a routine basis. Why the consumers of science (investors and government folks) put up with this situation is not something that I've thought too much about or know the answer to. Maybe it's fear and desperation. Maybe it's the same reason people stay in abusive relationships.<br /><br /><i>Can we find a stunt like the Carnegie elephant crossing a steel bridge stunt?</i><br /><br />I think that all it would require to shift the entire scientific community is to make an example of a few of these PIs publishing irreproducible science. If some organisation with resources were to pick one or two papers from every issue of Nature or Cell and attempt to reproduce them and make those results public it would have a tremendous impact on everyone else. After a couple of high profile retractions, scientists would be falling all over themselves to make sure that their work is reproducible <i>before</i> they submit to journals. <br /><br />Once PIs realize that their work has a chance of being subjected to this kind of public scrutiny, they will think twice about the quality of what they submit. <br /><br />It would be something like Comparative Effectiveness Research. Or you can think of it as a random scientific audit. <br /><br />The problem of how to get a group of people to do something they wouldn't otherwise do is a very active and well studied area of research in Sociology, Economics, Psychology etc. <br /><br />For example, the way to make sure people pay taxes is to keep the tax rate low so people don't feel the burden is too great, make it as easy as possible to pay by withholding wages and put in a penalty for fraudulent returns. You need carrots and sticks. Focusing on single approach will be insufficient.<br /><br />I think just bringing attention to the problem, which your blog does, is an important step.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com