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0 Answers 0 Votes
Why do in vitro studies often show ideal results for new techniques, while clinical outcome studies show no significant difference compared to conventional treatments?
In Endodontics specifically: 1. Irrigation techniques (e.g., GentleWave, PUI): • In vitro: Often show superior bacterial reduction compared to conventional syringe irrigation. • Outcome studies: Many show no statistically significant difference in long-term healing or success rates (e.g., JOE 2022, 2024 papers). • 2. Root canal sealers (e.g., bioceramics vs epoxy): • In vitro: Bioceramic sealers demonstrate better properties (e.g., antimicrobial, biocompatibility). • Outcome studies: No...
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Answer Accepted 9 Answers 2 Votes
Do co-authors in low and middle income countries (LMICs) really engage in a research paper they are listed?
Number of published research papers were among the criteria of promotions for academic staffs and researchers in many localities. This might have been caused biased and false publications in resource limited countries. Should researchers study researchers?
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5 Answers 1 Vote
What is the most important part of a scientific article? Let's approach this seriously!
I read a question asking what is the most important part of a scientific article. As far as I can see, we have all gone crazy. The most significant part of a scientific article is… simply ALL OF IT. By the way, nobody has commented on the REFERENCES. Or is a copy-paste enough?
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3 Answers 2 Votes
How do you justify (or would you justify) a new research study to ensure it doesn’t unnecessarily duplicate previous work or repeat past methodological mistakes?
I’m currently working on a PhD thesis focused on Evidence-Based Research (EBR), particularly on how researchers use (or fail to use) prior evidence (similar studies), to justify and design new research. I’d love to hear real-world experiences, whether from preparing research proposals or evaluating them. Do you use any structured or unstructured method to be aware of all relevant prior research? How do you support your judgments (e.g., demonstrating that no prior studies exist, or that...
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5 Answers 0 Votes
In an age where the scientific community is often seen as a guarantor and where short-termist policies are the norm, is there still a place for independent research ?
Calls for projects are becoming increasingly time-consuming, with researchers facing intense competition for funding, which is monopolising ancillary services, consultants and even lobbyists. Budgets allocated to research are determined by priorities that vary according to political choices, the coherence of which can legitimately be questioned. All too often, announced policies reflect subjective choices based on unfounded presuppositions, or even deny established scientific facts....
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Answer Accepted 21 Answers 3 Votes
Does the number of unread emails correlate with blood pressure?
The hypothesis is simple: as unread emails increase, so does stress — and potentially blood pressure. Yes, it’s a light-hearted question, but it taps into a real intersection of digital life and mental/physical health. With email overload being a known contributor to workplace burnout, this research could highlight a simple, visible marker of digital stress, making people’s blood boil.
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Answer Accepted 5 Answers 5 Votes
How publication retractions should be handled?
With an alarming rise in number of retracted papers, what the scientific community thinks is the best way to handle them? 1. Should be ignored, giving benefit-of-doubt to the authors 2. Authors with multiple retracted papers should be demoted 3. Organizations with high retraction rates should be banned from entering various rankings, and debar them from government funding for 1-2 years 4. Court trials against the faulty researchers for criminal wastage of public money
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12 Answers 0 Votes
Should a big research (e.g., PhD) be published as one comprehensive high-impact paper or several smaller, faster publications?
Should a big study perhaps a PhD student’s research be published as one comprehensive, high-impact paper or split into several smaller, focused publications? A single major paper can offer a cohesive, in-depth contribution with broader impact, but may delay dissemination. Multiple smaller papers can communicate findings more quickly and stimulate ongoing research, yet may lack the unified context of a larger work. What choice is the best - having a comprehensive paper in high impact journals...
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Answer Accepted 1 Answer 0 Votes
What do you think about post-publication review? Should it be adopted more widely?
Conventional peer-review takes quite long, and is one of the major reasons for the snail-pace of the publication process. On the other hand, it seems attractive to quickly make your article public as a preprint (e.g. on bioRxiv), so that it can get readership and may be citations even before formal publication. Some journals (F1000Research, eLife, etc.) have started the practice of post-publication review. Here 'publication' means not 'acceptance', but making the article public with a valid...
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Answer Accepted 1 Answer 0 Votes
Are surveillance and 'omics' profiling studies being overhyped, and eating up the limited funding for scientific research?
These day, there has been a considerable increase in publications reporting some sort of genomics/transcriptomics/metagenomics profiling. While these 'omics' tools are quite useful, many researchers simply adopt them as they guarantee some 'data' output, irrespective of sample type. Whatever sample you take, it will always have some microbial species, many genes, and you can easily report this 'profiling'. To make your study look 'big', you can increase the sample size. Such studies get...
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