Patrick Jack in Inside Higher Ed:
Large numbers of biomedical scientists have tried and failed to replicate their own studies, with many not publishing their findings, a survey suggests.
Authors of the study warn that researchers’ failure to approach their own work rigorously creates “major issues in bias” and hampers innovation in science.Their survey, of about 1,600 authors of biomedical science papers, found that 72 percent agreed there was a reproducibility crisis in their field. Participants suggested a variety of factors, but the leading cause that most participants indicated always contributes to irreproducible research was the pressure to publish. The study found that just half (54 percent) of participants had tried to replicate their own work previously. Of those, 43 percent failed. Of those who had tried to replicate one of their own studies, just over a third (36 percent) said they had published the results, according to findings published in PLOS Biology on Nov. 5.
More here.
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