Aug
17
Peer review in scientific authority and media visibility
Nature Communications published a paper last week that argues that the media pay undue attention to people who do not worry much about climate change. The journal and authors are now in all sorts of trouble because they identified those people, smeared their name, and released personal data. The journal editor confirmed that she did not check whether the paper had IRB approval.**
UC Merced confirms that the paper had no such approval*** and argues that it did not need such approval because no data were collected on political views or academic qualifications.**** Yet, paper and press release refer to views and qualification, the paper obliquely as "political origins" and "non-scientific experts", the press release explicitly with its "false authority" and "lack [of] scientific training".
UC Merced confirms that the paper had no such approval*** and argues that it did not need such approval because no data were collected on political views or academic qualifications.**** Yet, paper and press release refer to views and qualification, the paper obliquely as "political origins" and "non-scientific experts", the press release explicitly with its "false authority" and "lack [of] scientific training".