Home
It shocks me when a professional group circles the wagons and starts firing shots at people who point out undeniable errors in their research.
I appreciate, at least a little, what it’s like for insiders in these processes. I’ve been there dozens of times, including having chaired the development of national guidelines* in a hot button area. Once upon a time, I was even among the people sued by some companies because of a recommendation that didn’t go their way. I know what it’s like to feel besieged or bombarded.
Regardless of how heated others’ rhetoric becomes, though, when it comes to their scientific claims, I believe major organizations’ spokespeople have to be able to acknowledge error, and maintain scientific rigor in responding to methodological criticisms. I don’t think the author response to my comment on the 2017 American Heart Association (AHA) position paper on dietary fats managed to meet that standard.
This is a cloud with a silver lining for me, though! It provides an excellent example for one of my favorite things to do: discussing methods for detecting bias in research – and how to try to minimize your own biases while doing it.
Full blog post here: http://blogs.plos.org/absolutely-maybe/2017/08/02/circling-the-wagons-science-style-aha-saturated-biases-redux/
I appreciate, at least a little, what it’s like for insiders in these processes. I’ve been there dozens of times, including having chaired the development of national guidelines* in a hot button area. Once upon a time, I was even among the people sued by some companies because of a recommendation that didn’t go their way. I know what it’s like to feel besieged or bombarded.
Regardless of how heated others’ rhetoric becomes, though, when it comes to their scientific claims, I believe major organizations’ spokespeople have to be able to acknowledge error, and maintain scientific rigor in responding to methodological criticisms. I don’t think the author response to my comment on the 2017 American Heart Association (AHA) position paper on dietary fats managed to meet that standard.
This is a cloud with a silver lining for me, though! It provides an excellent example for one of my favorite things to do: discussing methods for detecting bias in research – and how to try to minimize your own biases while doing it.
Full blog post here: http://blogs.plos.org/absolutely-maybe/2017/08/02/circling-the-wagons-science-style-aha-saturated-biases-redux/
