Latest posts
When scientists are wrong..
Many studies and findings are questioned as a replications fail. When some are approached about possible weaknesses, like Amy Cuddy (and with her mentor Susan Fiske at her back), they fight tooth and nail. Others do it differently. A finding Dan Ariely has based part...
Replication vs. reproducibility
There is a distinction (not always observed by various authors) between Replication and reproducibility. Replication is re-running studies to confirm results. This means, collect own data, and get the same effect for your study. Reproducibility is the the ability to...
There are many ways to scientific fraud
An entertaining version of it was published ten years ago, by Neuroskeptic at: http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.com/2010/11/9-circles-of-scientific-hell.html and since then, also as an article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691612459519 as both can be...
Tweet to increase our citation scores?
Citation scores are berated as being a poor predictor of article quality.. but still the best one available. Scholars are also often judged on citation scores. So the question of how to increase ones citation score is salient. The most important is of course to...
Advice through a PhD, from Oliver Williamson
We all know our PhD journey has been unique, special, just like the snowflakes we are. Reading the advice Oliver Williamson gave his phd students, makes me smile, it is advice I should have got during my journey. It would have been perfectly tailored to me. The essay,...
Effect size, statistical significance and big data
Many, if not most statistical methods were developed for relatively small datasets. Big Data means we need to reevaluate how we interpret results. A good examples comes from “the Facebook experiment” Emotional contagion through social networks Adam D. I. Kramer, Jamie...
The importance of stupidity in scientific research
I think the Lego Gradstudent is brilliant! Very dark humour, but ohh so funny, especially if and when you feel a little down during your PhD journey. The creator made a video about the "impostor syndrome", that many experience at times. To watch it: I recently read an...
A manifesto for reproducible science
There are ohh-so many ways to mess up when conducting research, leading either intentionally or unintentionally, to false results. Open science, where every effort is made to allow others to check your work (put very simply) is on the rise. Here is a great article on...
Free access to research articles
Academic research is contingent on building on past findings, much published in academic journals. While researchers get nothing from the journals when they submit their work (indeed, some pay for the privilege to get published), it can cost a fortune to access the...
Analysis of how integrated Eysenck’s articles, deemed “unsafe”, are with the rest of his published research
My second peer-reviewed publication, this time on Eysenck's body of research, where we both look at how it evolved, and how central the articles deemed as "unsafe" by his own college, is to the rest of his work. We also note how he continually renewed the pool of...
How to be a good reviewer
https://plos.org/resources/for-reviewers/
Creating model diagrams
While most make models in Word or Powerpoint, there are other alternatives, that can also be used with R. One such, is DAGitty, (and related packages). You can make the diagrams in a browser window, and export the R code. The diagrams can be exported in most high...
Style guide for academic writing
There are many - very many - styles in academia. At times, it seems every journal has their own style, which differs just a little from others; seemingly with the intent to frustrate a submitting author (or to act as a last-ditch attempt to stop those who just submit...
Are the metrics for academic success changing?
The term "Publish or perish" is well known, and in part comes from seeing that those who publish more, tend to receive more as well. Volume counts. This skews incentives, leading to shortcuts and outright fraud. Will this ever change? In a recent article on one such...
Bibliometrix and biblioshiny – R packages
Bibliometric analysis is taking off, fueled by increasingly easy to use software. While R can have a daunting learning curve, there are some great packages available for those interested. One is Bibliometrix. The command line side of it offers some great flexibility...
Mapping the expatriate literature: a bibliometric review of the field from 1998 to 2017 and identification of current research fronts
My first publication in a peer reviewed journal is now online 🙂 The last version of the manuscript, before final submission can be downloaded here; Mapping the expatriate literature: a bibliometric review of the...
What to do when, for a successful academic career
The requirements to get a job in academia, change depending on the stage of ones career. This article sums up what is commonly required at the different stages. I found it interesting that there is no mention of teaching, though this may be because in the USA, one is...
Sharing data in repositories
An increasing number of journals encourage researchers to share their data, for a variety of reasons. In years past, it was common to have to write to the authors asking for access or supplementary statistics; making your data available, ensures more have access to...
Using SVG files
Presenting research visually can greatly help people grasp complex ideas. Creating the visuals can take a lot of effort and creativity, it is a shame when the finished product is consequently compressed when published or shown; as is the case for most network maps....
“Best Practices in Data Collection and Preparation” …and self-citation..
Good article on how to collect data for research: Best Practices in Data Collection and Preparation: Recommendations for Reviewers, Editors, and Authors https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1094428119836485 Aguinis, H., Hill, N. S., & Bailey, J. R....