Scientists unknowingly tweak experiments »

A new study has found some scientists are unknowingly tweaking experiments and analysis methods to increase their chances of getting results that are easily published. The study conducted by ANU scientists is the most comprehensive investigation into a type of publication bias called p-hacking. P-hacking happens when researchers either consciously or unconsciously analyse their data multiple times or in multiple ways until they get a desired result. If p-hacking is common, the exaggerated results could lead to misleading conclusions, even when evidence comes from multiple studies. "We found evidence that p-hacking is happening throughout the life sciences," said lead author Dr Megan Head from the ANU Research School of Biology. The study used text mining to extract p-values - a number that indicates how likely it is that a result occurs by chance - from more than 100,000 research papers published around the world, spanning many scientific disciplines, including medicine, biology and psychology. "Many researchers are not aware that certain methods could make some results seem more important than they are.