Content
- Questionable use of p-values
- Big findings
- Hiding the effect size
When you get invited to review your first scientific publication for a journal, you’re probably excited because that means that somebody recognizes your expertise in a field. However, you might also be a little nervous since peer review is an important process and figuring out whether a manuscript provides good science is not always easy.
In this first article of a series of tips for first time reviewers, we will go through findings that should make you suspicious that there might be something wrong with an article and that you should take an even closer look.
As a young researcher, you will most likely not be asked to review for the most prestigious journals in your field, which means that you are more likely to encounter low-quality science because the editors are often a little more permissive with the articles they send for review. This is actually a good thing because articles that are submitted to lower-tier journals tend to make more obvious mistakes that are easier to spot for a person with limited experience.
While I have a medical background, I will try to keep this article helpful for researchers from different fields and encourage you to comment your own experiences with suspicious behaviors of authors that indicate bad science so that it can be helpful to other young researchers.
#research #writing #medicine #science #data-science
