Class Contents

This class is treats one topic per week.

Week 1

What are we trying to do here?

We have chosen to be here, to spend our time and energy doing scientific research. Many of us have…

Week 2

Data are wasted, lost and under-used.

We want the data we collect to be used to make scientific advances. Ideally, we want to make and publish these discoveries ourselves. But eventually, there are many reasons…

Week 3

Experiments cannot be reproduced by other labs.

A defining feature of scientific knowledge is that it is replicable: another scientist should be able to repeat the procedure, and re-generate the same results. Yet in…

Week 4

The literature is biased.

A defining feature of scientific knowledge is that it clearly and explicitly describes both an estimate of an effect, and our confidence in that estimate. But the…

Week 5

Mistakes go uncaught and uncorrected.

The scientific process is supposed to accumulate better information, and identify and discard mistakes and false beliefs. Incorrect information or interpretations can be…

Week 6

Time and effort are wasted by arbitrary gatekeeping

Scientists communicate findings through publications in peer-reviewed journals. However, this process is slow and prone to biases as it relies heavily on existing social…

Week 7

Results are only accessible to very rich institutions.

Scientific progress is theoretically a gradual process that involves many researchers building on one another’s work. However, subscriptions to journals are only affordable…

Week 8

Scientific papers are obsolete.

The modern scientific paper has not changed in the past two hundred years. New technologies such as high-speed internet allow for embedding dynamic interfaces, audio…

Week 9

Researchers are incentivized to be first, not right

Historically, academic institutions have mostly rewarded single actors who are the first to publish important or impactful results. Universities hired and promoted scholars…

Week 10

Managing the use of scientific products

Most scientific research depends on people working together: from trainees working with a PI in a single lab, to massive consortia of researchers around the globe.…

Week 11

Ideas and scrutiny from some people are undervalued

Throughout the history of academia, people who hold marginalized identities, including those based on race, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ status, and disability status, are…