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Social Science Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.

We need a post-publication, citation-triggered review process.

The publication process in social science is broken. Articles in prestigious journals use flawed data, employ questionable research practices, and reach illogical conclusions. Sometimes doubts over research become public, such as in the case of honesty scholar Francesca Gino, but most of the time research malpractice goes unacknowledged and uncorrected. Yet scholars know it is there, hiding below the surface, leading to frustration and cynicism. Research “has become a game of publication and not science,” as one professor wrote in response to a

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About the Author
Andrew Gelman is a professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University.
About the Author
Andrew King is a professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.