A report by Inside Higher Education presents promising trials of journals that paid reviewers for writing a report. Turnaround times dropped and the quality of reports was high. It is certainly good that journals explore payment of reviewers, but I Continue reading
The post discusses the implications of using LLMs like Claude Code in empirical research, emphasizing that while they may increase paper production, this doesn't guarantee quality or relevance. It highlights differences in adoption between quantitative and qualitative methods, predicting an uneven impact on research output and publication dynamics across disciplines. Continue reading
A critical discussion of the role of case-to-condition ratios in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Continue reading
The post critiques the paper "Uncertainty limits the use of power analysis". It highlights issues with power analysis because of uncertainty deriving from sampling variability and fluctuating population effect sizes. While acknowledging valid points, I believe the paper's conclusions are overly dismissive and argue for a refined approach to power and sample size estimation, if one accepts that…
The debate between Yann LeCun and Elon Musk, reported in Nature, questions whether science necessitates publishing results. My position is that science depends on how you produce your knowledge, not necessarily requiring publication. Only if you face the public, you need to publish about your work. Continue reading
Is Open Science passé? is the question asked by Xenia Schmalz in this blogpost. I recommend reading it before I share brief thoughts on some points that are raised. I wish an open science movement was not needed anymore, but Continue reading
The article "Resolving empirical controversies with mechanistic evidence" discusses the potential of using evidence about mechanisms to resolve statistical disagreements and aid in choosing the correct quantitative model. While there are challenges and uncertainties in this approach, it emphasizes the value of theorizing about mechanisms and collecting evidence about them, especially in…
Sourcely, an AI company, promises to streamline research by finding, summarizing, and adding credible sources in minutes. While this sounds appealing, skepticism arises as using such a tool may prioritize citing over genuine research. Initial tests revealed limited functionality, leaving doubts about its practical value in the research process. Continue reading
This post summarizes some (late) thoughts on the short article The data revolution in social science needs qualitative research by Grigoropoulou and Small, published in Nature Human Behavior. This is an excellent article that systemizes the ways in which qualitative Continue reading
The LSE Impact blog has a post from May 2021 raising some reservations about the idea of Slow Science . The Slow Science idea hasn t really picked up in academia, as far as I can tell. The post presents some good Continue reading