Publish at September 25 2024 Updated September 25 2024
Scientific research has led to a spectacular evolution in techniques and knowledge. Most of the objects that surround us are the result of these discoveries. Modern medical treatments were born of the work of researchers, and our understanding of the universe as a whole has improved steadily over the years. In short, the modern world owes a great deal to scientific research.
It has even become a market, which may explain certain excesses. Indeed, a large part of research funding is based on the publication of articles in recognized journals. The English-speaking world has dubbed this situation "publish or perish", which shows just how fragile many laboratories and researchers are when it comes to their financial situation. We also know that this lack of resources can be used by interest groups, often commercial ones, to spread propaganda and influence decisions in their favor.
In 1998, British surgeon Andrew Wakefield published in "The Lancet" his study on a supposed link between the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine and the development of autistic disorders in children. The research was rigged by a small sample size, data modification and funding from a group in litigation against a vaccine manufacturer. Despite the criticism already levelled at the peer review, it took until 2010 for the magazine to withdraw the article. It was the foundation of the anti-vaccine movement that took root around the world.
The question of the integrity of scientific research is therefore all the more important in a world where science is increasingly being called into question. The scientific world must now show as much integrity as possible in order to maintain its credibility. All the more so as the spectrum of faults that can be committed is wide.
Of course, the Wakefield affair is one of the most serious cases of fraud, with those who fabricate, falsify data or literally plagiarize colleagues. Then there are all the questionable practices such as failing to declare conflicts of interest, manipulating images, sorting out information that goes in the direction of the original hypothesis, changing criteria during the course of a study, and so on. Then, although they are much less intentional, statistical errors, failure to comply with regulations, omission of references or literature searches, or inappropriate or weak research methods also undermine the credibility of the research.
These flaws in methodology affect the quality of current research, and have an impact on the general public. How many studies have relied on an exceptional statistic that has made the media rounds, without having the full picture, the explanation of the finding, etc.?
Every year, the world of nutrition sees all kinds of conclusions about the harmful or beneficial aspects of a food, to the point where no one knows what has been solidly proven. And with the advent of artificial intelligence, this raises many more questions. First of all, because they are capable of writing fake studies without any scientific process, and what's more, they learn by analyzing, among other things, the scientific literature in most fields. If they are fed inaccurate or truncated data, how can we ensure that they don't spit out erroneous information?
As a result, the scientific world is putting the emphasis back on rigor. In the United States, a group called "Community for rigor" is designing and sharing teaching materials to remind people of all the elements of rigorous research, based on facts rather than bias.
By the end of 2024, the group is expected to create a comprehensive, accessible curriculum covering all aspects of research. Researchers are also aware of the pressures and methodological errors that can arise. Thus, the issues of upstream preparation, putting basic biases down on paper in a limpid manner and being transparent with all data collected (including those that don't support the conclusion) are essential. They ensure that readers, including peers, are able to perceive whether or not flaws exist in the research method.
Indeed, in the scientific world, the best way to confirm the validity of a study is to reproduce it. The more rigorous and precise a study is, the easier it will be for another team, wherever they may be, to repeat it. First of all, there's replicability, i.e. repeating the experiment with everything identical: equipment, parameters and procedures. This verifies the stability and reliability of the results. Reproducibility, for its part, will change certain aspects in order to confirm whether it is possible to reach conclusions close to the original study in different contexts.
On the reader's side, this means not being blinded by the headlines, but rather analyzing the text in greater depth, taking an interest in the study's methodology, including sampling, potential biases, the research team's stance, etc. This requires acquiring a certain knowledge of the study ' s methodology, as well as a good understanding of the study ' s content. This requires some knowledge of the scientific method or, ideally, exposure to it more than once in one's school career.
References
B.-Lamoureux, Bianca, Léna Bergeron, and Nadia Rousseau. "La rigueur en recherche-développement: risques et tensions dans l'opérationnalisation de la démarche." Érudit. last updated January 11, 2024. https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/rechqual/2023-v42-n2-rechqual09019/1108607ar/.
"How to ensure the reliability of scientific studies in healthcare?" Pro-paternite.com. Last updated May 30, 2024. https://www.pro-paternite.com/comment-assurer-la-fiabilite-des-etudes-scientifiques-en-sante/.
Community for Rigor. Accessed September 21, 2024. https://c4r.io/.
De Abreu, Gilberto. "Reproducing studies: Advancing scientific rigor and reliability." Mind the Graph. Last updated April 10, 2023. https://mindthegraph.com/blog/fr/replication-des-etudes/.
Leroux, Mylène, Mélanie Tremblay, and Stéphane Allaire. "How to judge the quality of scientific writing in education?" CTREQ - RIRE. Last updated: April 22, 2024. https://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/comment-juger-de-la-qualite-dun-ecrit-scientifique-en-education/.
"The requirement for scientific integrity." PSL Explore. Last updated September 1, 2022. https://explore.psl.eu/fr/se-former/publier/lexigence-dintegrite-scientifique.
"Rigorous research practices improve scientific replication." Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. Last updated: November 15, 2023. https://humsci.stanford.edu/feature/rigorous-research-practices-improve-scientific-replication.
Slote, Kevin. "Scientific rigor is all you need." Medium. last updated May 13, 2024. https://medium.com/@kslote1/scientific-rigor-is-all-you-need-1ff49d3c3e00.
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