Title |
Letting the daylight in: Reviewing the reviewers and other ways to maximize transparency in science
|
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Published in |
Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, January 2012
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DOI | 10.3389/fncom.2012.00020 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Jelte M. Wicherts, Rogier A. Kievit, Marjan Bakker, Denny Borsboom |
Abstract |
With the emergence of online publishing, opportunities to maximize transparency of scientific research have grown considerably. However, these possibilities are still only marginally used. We argue for the implementation of (1) peer-reviewed peer review, (2) transparent editorial hierarchies, and (3) online data publication. First, peer-reviewed peer review entails a community-wide review system in which reviews are published online and rated by peers. This ensures accountability of reviewers, thereby increasing academic quality of reviews. Second, reviewers who write many highly regarded reviews may move to higher editorial positions. Third, online publication of data ensures the possibility of independent verification of inferential claims in published papers. This counters statistical errors and overly positive reporting of statistical results. We illustrate the benefits of these strategies by discussing an example in which the classical publication system has gone awry, namely controversial IQ research. We argue that this case would have likely been avoided using more transparent publication practices. We argue that the proposed system leads to better reviews, meritocratic editorial hierarchies, and a higher degree of replicability of statistical analyses. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 16 | 16% |
Netherlands | 9 | 9% |
United Kingdom | 9 | 9% |
Germany | 3 | 3% |
Australia | 2 | 2% |
Switzerland | 2 | 2% |
Norway | 1 | <1% |
Japan | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Other | 7 | 7% |
Unknown | 50 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 64 | 63% |
Scientists | 25 | 25% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 6 | 6% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 5 | 5% |
Unknown | 1 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Netherlands | 4 | 4% |
Germany | 2 | 2% |
Switzerland | 2 | 2% |
Canada | 2 | 2% |
United States | 2 | 2% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
Italy | 1 | 1% |
Belgium | 1 | 1% |
Mexico | 1 | 1% |
Other | 2 | 2% |
Unknown | 80 | 82% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 20 | 20% |
Researcher | 17 | 17% |
Other | 11 | 11% |
Student > Master | 10 | 10% |
Professor | 9 | 9% |
Other | 24 | 24% |
Unknown | 7 | 7% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 29 | 30% |
Computer Science | 12 | 12% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 10 | 10% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 8 | 8% |
Social Sciences | 7 | 7% |
Other | 16 | 16% |
Unknown | 16 | 16% |