Why most published research findings are false, and why you usually can't read them anyway--the pioneering work of Dr. John Ioannidis
In 2005 Dr. John Ioannidis, a Greek researcher and professor of health policy at Stanford University, best known for his critiques of the science of medicine, published a paper entitled "Why Most Published Research Findings are False." This was not from the point of view of a science denier--actually closer to the opposite. Ioannidis loves good science, but points out that the vast majority of scientific studies today are biased, often asking the wrong questions and making the wrong inferences. In the case of medicine, this often means that claims of the effectiveness of a treatment or diagnostic test are exaggerated and often just plain wrong. This stems partly from the fact that positive and exciting results lead to further funding for the researcher involved and that the sources of this funding are often entities such as drug companies that stand to benefit from a certain outcome. Recently Dr. Ioannidis published a new article, much more accessible than the first, ent...