The Credibility Crisis in Science (Paperback)

Thomas Pluemper

ISBN 10: 0262051273 / ISBN 13: 9780262051279

Published by MIT Press Ltd, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. A novel perspective on scientific fraud-how undisclosed "tweaks" to research designs and model specifications fuel the credibility crisis in science.In The Credibility Crisis in Science, leading social scientists Thomas Pl mper and Eric Neumayer argue that the most impactful fraud is crucially under-recognized. While data fabrication and manipulation are widely recognized as fraudulent, "tweaks"-the intentional selection of research designs and model specifications based on the results they give-are not. As a consequence, the credibility crisis in science is even more severe than both scientists and the public believe.The authors show how easily observational data analyses, experimental designs, and causal models are tweaked in ways that are extremely difficult, often impossible, to detect. They also argue that conventional strategies to deter, prevent, and detect fraud will not work for tweaks. They put forth two potential solutions: first, a classification system that categorizes data based on its susceptibility to manipulation and the probability of such manipulation being identified; and second, the proposal that journal editors and reviewers, rather than authors, select robustness tests. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780262051279

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Credibility Crisis in Science (Paperback)
• Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262051273
• ISBN 13: 9780262051279
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A novel perspective on scientific fraud—how undisclosed “tweaks” to research designs and model specifications fuel the credibility crisis in science.

In The Credibility Crisis in Science, leading social scientists Thomas Plümper and Eric Neumayer argue that the most impactful fraud is crucially under-recognized. While data fabrication and manipulation are widely recognized as fraudulent, “tweaks”—the intentional selection of research designs and model specifications based on the results they give—are not. As a consequence, the credibility crisis in science is even more severe than both scientists and the public believe.

The authors show how easily observational data analyses, experimental designs, and causal models are tweaked in ways that are extremely difficult, often impossible, to detect. They also argue that conventional strategies to deter, prevent, and detect fraud will not work for tweaks. They put forth two potential solutions: first, a classification system that categorizes data based on its susceptibility to manipulation and the probability of such manipulation being identified; and second, the proposal that journal editors and reviewers, rather than authors, select robustness tests.

About the Author

Thomas Plümper is Professor of Quantitative Social Research at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and Head of the Department of Socioeconomics. He is author of numerous articles and coauthor, with Eric Neumayer, of Robustness Tests for Quantitative Research.

Eric Neumayer is Professor of Environment and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Geography. He is LSE’s Deputy President and Vice Chancellor.