Academic peer review of scientific manuscripts often falls short. It invariably slows and sometimes prevents the publication of good research. And it sometimes leads to the distribution and amplification of flawed research. Prestigious journals sometimes publish research grounded on shaking theory that used weak measures and inappropriate analyses to reach dubious conclusions. Failings of peer […]
Richard Shiffrin’s 2018 PNAS article on the nature of scientific progress is beautifully written, erudite, and insightful. I learned a lot from it and agree with most of his arguments. But with the greatest respect I would like to counter Shiffrin’s expressions of doubt regarding the value of preregistering research plans. Those doubts were lightly […]