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‘Science is flawed’: COVID-19, ivermectin, and beyond – Medical News Today (Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz | December 2021)

Posted by Dr Gary Allen in on December 22, 2021

The Linked Original Item was Posted On December 11, 2021

A cartoon of a group of scientists working together.

Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz is an epidemiologist and writer based in Sydney, Australia. His work covers chronic disease, the pandemic response, and more recently, error detection in science. In this op-ed, he discusses issues with research that have become increasingly apparent during the pandemic.

There are no two ways about it: Science is flawed. We’re not talking about the philosophical leanings of science or the origins of white coats and linoleum-floored laboratories, but about the nuts and bolts of the process by which we determine whether things are true or false.

An experienced Australian researcher reflects upon why research is flawed and the outcomes from research projects are not fit for purpose.  The pandemic has both given science the opportunity to shine and highlighted why our current approach is broken.  This is a recommended read for anybody interested in the culture of research and why science is flawed.  We have included links to nine related items.

In the decades before the pandemic, scientists spent endless hours wrestling with the painful fact that much of the knowledge base of science and medicine is reliant on research that is flawed, broken, or potentially never occurred at all.

Science has a gap between its mechanics and outputs. The mechanics of science are fine. The machines always get bigger and more efficient. New tools are always developed. Techniques become more sophisticated over time, and more knowledge is acquired.

The outputs of science are not. The culture of academia demands publication and warrants little retrospection about potential errors — this means that mistakes are rarely corrected, and even outright fraud is often left undetected in academic literature.

Science has a gap between its mechanics and outputs. The mechanics of science are fine. The machines always get bigger and more efficient. New tools are always developed. Techniques become more sophisticated over time, and more knowledge is acquired.

The perils of flawed research and the ivermectin debacle
In this op-ed, epidemiologist Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz discusses problems with medical research that have become increasingly apparent during the pandemic.

Related Reading

Despite its big COVID moment, science is in crisis – Crickey (Stephen Bartos | August 2020)

Why Professors Are Writing Crap That Nobody Reads – NewsIn Asia (Editor | July 2020)

(EU) Governance of research integrity: Options for a coordinated approach in Europe – EMBO (Sandra Bendiscioli Michele S. Garfinkel | June 2020)

How Academic Science Gave Its Soul to the Publishing Industry – Issues in Science and Technology (Mark Neff | January 2020)

The Intellectual and Moral Decline in Academic Research – James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal (Edward Archer | January 2020)

Australia ‘There is a problem’: Australia’s top scientist Alan Finkel pushes to eradicate bad science – The Conversation (Alan Finkel | September 2019)

SPEECH: Actions to advance research integrity – Dr Alan Finkel AO (6th World Conference on Research Integrity | June 2019)

To move research from quantity to quality, go beyond good intentions – Nature ( Alan Finkel | February 2019)

Science isn’t broken, but we can do better: here’s how – The Conversation (Alan Finkel | April 2018)

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