Why the Reward Structure of Science Makes Reproducibility Problems Inevitable
Accepted version
Peer-reviewed
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Authors
Heesen, RD
Abstract
Recent philosophical work has praised the reward structure of science, while recent empirical work has shown that many scientific results may not be reproducible. I argue that the reward structure of science incentivizes scientists to focus on speed and impact at the expense of the reproducibility of their work, thus contributing to the so-called reproducibility crisis. I use a rational choice model to identify a set of sufficient conditions for this problem to arise, and I argue that these conditions plausibly apply to a wide range of research situations. Currently proposed solutions will not fully address this problem. Philosophical commentators should temper their optimism about the reward structure of science.
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Keywords
50 Philosophy and Religious Studies, 5002 History and Philosophy Of Specific Fields, Generic health relevance
Journal Title
The Journal of Philosophy
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Journal ISSN
1939-8549
1939-8549
1939-8549
Volume Title
Publisher
F.J.E. Woodbridge : W.T. Bush
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Sponsorship
Isaac Newton Trust (1608(ac))
Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2016-551)
Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2016-551)
This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation under grant SES 1254291 and by an Early Career Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust and the Isaac Newton Trust.