How much medical research is wrong, bad, or fake?

And how much of that research directly affects human health?

That’s what we’re here to find out.

The Problem

Three things are simultaneously true.

(1) research integrity mechanisms are enforced slowly and poorly (some examples from the main Retraction Watch website include this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one.)

(2) bad medical research can contaminate treatment guidelines, which at its worst can be catastrophic for human health

(3) full public disclosure of academic problems works, and while this may create friction, it “pales into insignificance when patients’ lives, taxpayer billions, and young researchers’ careers are at stake” (Barbour and Stell, 2020)

Combined, these form our compulsion: to find bad medical research which contaminates meta-analyses, and bad meta-analyses that contaminate treatment guidelines. Along the way, this may include investigations into other areas of academic medical research that affect health and life.

And then, to release it publicly in the spirit of full disclosure.

If you have relevant information, you can report it here.

See you soon.

JH