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Tag Archives: Ethics in research
Recommended: Bending the rules of clinical trials
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Recommended: How a Feel-Good AI Story Went Wrong in Flint
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Recommended: Making women in science visible
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Recommended: Congratulations on the Promotion. But Did Science Get a Demotion?
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I am recommending this article, not because I agree with it, but because it reinforces a common theme: the struggle to get and keep funding is skewing research as much as or more than conflicts caused by direct financial support. Like many of the previous articles on the topic, I find this article to be rife with speculation and lacking any empirical data to support the issue. I outlined similar concerns on my website back in 2005. Recently, the belief that obtaining a government grant somehow taints your credibility has led to a purge of good scientists from many EPA advisory panels.
I think this article offers bad advice and bad conclusions. But please read this article and decide for yourself. Continue reading
Recommended: We Have Ways To Stop Rogue Scientists. They Don’t Always Work.
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This is a nice review inspired by recent controversial work of a Chinese scientist who claims to have created genetically engineered babies. It outlines approaches that we use to regulate unethical science and explains why these approaches can fail. Continue reading
Recommended: A top Cornell food researcher has had 13 studies retracted. That’s a lot.
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This is a non-technical account of Brian Wansink, a food researcher, who has been accused of p-hacking, Continue reading
PMean: Misunderstanding autism
A friend of mine posted an inspiring story published in the Washington Post. Unfortunately, it did not inspire me, but rather made me worried about how often we misunderstand autism and how much trouble this causes. It’s not statistics, per se, but rather represents an example of how research on new approaches for patients with autism can end up being abusive. Continue reading
Recommended: Safeguarding Patients in Clinical Trials with High Mortality Rates
This is an article the I would trot out if anyone tried to argue that a Data Safety and Monitoring Board should, like the investigators, be blinded as to treatment status during their deliberations. Continue reading
Recommended: Research vs Quality Improvement
I ran across a one page handout in PDF format that discussed the difference between research and quality improvement. It was written from the perspective of the IRB (Institutional Review Board) at UMKC. It’s a nice summary, although the topic is a bit more complex than a single page handout might imply. This is a good starting point for deciding what type of study you want to do. Continue reading