The Lancet's credibility is kind of in the toilet right now thanks to publishing that Hydroxychloroquine study that appears to have had the data pulled from thin air
> The Lancet's credibility is kind of in the toilet right now thanks to publishing that Hydroxychloroquine study
This statement is utterly absurd. The credibility of an entire scientific journal with nearly 200 years of operation is not shaken by accepting a scientific paper that after being subjected to peer review didn't held to scrutiny.
This line of critisicm reveals a profound ignorance regarding the whole scientific establishment. I mean, only someone entirely ignorant and oblivious to the whole scientific process would assume that passing the review stage of a scientific journal is a rubber-stamp of approval that all observations and ideas and conclusions represent the final and unquestionable proof. That's now how it works. Papers are published to expose ideas to peers and thus subject them to scrutiny. Some ideas don't pan out, some might be misguided, and there might even be some instances of straight pure scientific fraud. But that's not what the aim of the acceptance process, is it?
The upside of this sort of case is that suddenly we have random people caring about science and the scientific process. It's a shame though that they don't educate themselves on the very basics and instead are more interested in dragging institutions through the mud.
It looks bad right now, yes, but Lancet and NEJM both had the two studies retracted, and both will carry their reputation.
Retractions happen in all sorts of journals. Sadly, they will keep happening. Journals need to impose a page limit, alas a paper cannot describe its methodology down to every last detail, peer review can only do so much when you have bad actor intent on passing through.
This blip aside, it doesn't take away the fact NEJM and Lancet both have a history of being great sources of information, indeed they are still _the_ place doctors go to to get informed. I don't see that changing.
This statement is utterly absurd. The credibility of an entire scientific journal with nearly 200 years of operation is not shaken by accepting a scientific paper that after being subjected to peer review didn't held to scrutiny.
This line of critisicm reveals a profound ignorance regarding the whole scientific establishment. I mean, only someone entirely ignorant and oblivious to the whole scientific process would assume that passing the review stage of a scientific journal is a rubber-stamp of approval that all observations and ideas and conclusions represent the final and unquestionable proof. That's now how it works. Papers are published to expose ideas to peers and thus subject them to scrutiny. Some ideas don't pan out, some might be misguided, and there might even be some instances of straight pure scientific fraud. But that's not what the aim of the acceptance process, is it?
The upside of this sort of case is that suddenly we have random people caring about science and the scientific process. It's a shame though that they don't educate themselves on the very basics and instead are more interested in dragging institutions through the mud.