B - Alarming cracks of bias

Sarewitz D. Beware the creeping cracks of bias. Nature 2012;485:149

The increasing pressure to publish is worsening the bias towards false positive results. Evidence is mounting that research is riddled with systematic errors, and that biases are not random. A biased scientific result is no different from a useless one. Alarming cracks in the scientific edifice are showing up starting from the biomedical field, because research results are constantly put to the practical test of improving human health. But systematic errors are a problem for any field that seeks to predict the behaviour of complex systems. Left unchecked, this could erode public trust.
http://www.nature.com/news/beware-the-creeping-cracks-of-bias-1.10600

Comments