Adrian Barnett
@aidybarnett.bsky.social
๐ค 806
๐ฅ 595
๐ 140
Statistician working in meta-research. Deltiologist.
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Graham Kendall
3 days ago
Can you justify using (and paying for) a service that generates a ready to submit paper with just one prompt? ๐งต
1
1
6
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Accountability in Research: Ethics, Integrity, and Policy
5 days ago
๐ Latest Article Commentary Alert! ๐ "Closing the paper mines"
@aidybarnett.bsky.social
&
@jabyrnesci.bsky.social
โ
doi.org/10.1080/0898...
#PaperMill
#ResearchMisconduct
#AI
#GenAI
#ResearchIntegrity
loading . . .
Closing the paper mines
Scientific fakery is a centuries old problem. Twinned with the long history of hard-working scientists earning fame for genuine discoveries, runs a tawdry history of those who were willing fabricat...
https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2026.2626740
0
5
3
An outstanding long-read on research integrity and outright lies. It made me gasp out loud.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
loading . . .
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Babyโs Poisoning?
After a newborn died of opioid poisoning, a new branch of pediatrics came into being. But the evidence doesnโt add up.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/02/did-a-celebrated-researcher-obscure-a-fatal-poisoning
10 days ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Nick Brown
12 days ago
Wiley: "Weโre supporting responsible research assessment practices"
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1520...
Also Wiley: "Prove that your article is a good fit for this journal ๐๐๐๐๐ by citing at least two of our articles in your manuscript before we will even consider reviewing it" ๐คก
9
65
39
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
AusHSI
12 days ago
โIf fabricated studies make their way into the evidence base, they can mislead real scientists and ultimately slow progress for patients." Published in The BMJ, a new AI tool developed by
@aidybarnett.bsky.social
and colleagues has exposed the scale of fake studies flooding cancer research.
loading . . .
New tool exposes scale of fake research flooding cancer science
A new machine learning tool has identified more than 250,000 cancer research papers that may have been produced by so-called โpaper millsโ.
https://www.qut.edu.au/news?id=203173
0
32
22
Everybody loses when research results are changed or supressed. This is an ongoing problem in Australia. As a start, we need a conversation between researchers and bureaucrats/lawyers.
add a skeleton here at some point
13 days ago
0
4
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
The Medical Journal of Australia
17 days ago
Fellowship schemes by Australian funding agencies invite researchers to disclose personal career disruptions to promote equity. But this well-meaning policy can expose private medical details to non-medically trained reviewers and create new risks of bias Read more:
buff.ly/BriGjyG
0
1
2
Less is more. This aphorism is constantly on my mind. The scientific publication system is under tremendous strain, the last thing it needs is a massive dump of LLM generated/aided papers. If you love science, then show it some love.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
loading . . .
Iโm going to halve my publication output. You should consider slow science, too
If we donโt slow down, the research enterprise is going to crash, argues Adrian Barnett.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04061-w
22 days ago
1
23
13
This is a statistical blunder that I've never seen before. Excluding zeros and ones because they didn't give a usable number after log-transforming. No idea why they simply didn't add a constant before transforming, or better still use a Poisson model.
24 days ago
0
2
0
A wonderful article from the ABC on Mercy Ships
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
loading . . .
On the world's largest hospital ship volunteers give people a chance at a better life
On the largest civilian hospital ship in the world, Australian volunteers provide life-changing healthcare that is transforming lives.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-18/volunteering-mercy-ships-sierra-leone-africa-healthcare/106077318
24 days ago
0
1
0
Number of days since I've seen an emu: 0.
26 days ago
0
3
0
A case study on how an Australian government agency changed the results of a qualitative study. Editing or suppressing research findings is not good policy, can lead to harms, and is awful to experience as a researcher. Journal:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
OA:
eprints.qut.edu.au/262261/
loading . . .
Client Challenge
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10805-025-09693-1
30 days ago
0
2
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Timothy Caulfield
about 1 month ago
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...
via
@statnews.com
The complete collapse of the NIH, CDC, and FDA is so tragic and damaging to not only the U.S., but the world... Dark Age 2.0.
loading . . .
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
โWe can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,โ write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/nih-resign-protest-four-leaders-cite-interference-censorship/
5
76
35
I read this excellent book last year about the US coup in Guatemala. So much death and destruction built on lies.
about 1 month ago
0
2
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Reese Richardson
about 1 month ago
"It might be easy to dismiss the idea of ISO 9001 as just another tool to encourage best practice among publishers. But journal certification would fill a long-standing gap in the chain of external oversight from conduct to translation of research."
@jabyrnesci.bsky.social
writes in
@nature.com
!
loading . . .
Put pressure on publishers to follow best practice โ external regulation is the answer
Journals that work hard to meet the needs of both authors and readers should be acknowledged publicly โ encouraging others to follow suit.
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-04099-w
0
13
8
Swallowtail butterfly in my garden.
about 1 month ago
0
5
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
eLife
about 1 month ago
Are peer reviewers influenced by their work being cited?
loading . . .
Coercive citations
Reviewer citation requests can turn peer review into a transaction rather than an objective critique of the article.
https://buff.ly/EfuABEs
0
7
3
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Mark Rubin
about 2 months ago
"How can funders avoid crossing the Szilard point?" The Szilard point is "the threshold at which the total cost of competing for a grant equals (or surpasses) the value of the available funding."
loading . . .
Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04060-x
4
112
75
Holiday
about 2 months ago
0
11
0
Rather than investing in the energy that "will never kill us or never run out" (Will Self) our state government is pouring money into coal. A sad short-term gamble to win votes.
2 months ago
0
1
0
Was a preprint, now a paper. Our experiment on researchers preferences for published papers. Disappointingly, the journal impact factor still dominates, and even worse, some authors are willing to sacrifice their results for a higher impact factor.
www.scienceopen.com/hosted-docum...
2 months ago
0
2
1
Are peer reviewers influenced by their work being cited? Version of record at
@elife.bsky.social
. Thorough and useful peer review - who needs and impact factor?! Links to paper and code/data โฌ๏ธ ๐https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/108748 ๐ปhttps://github.com/agbarnett/cited_reviewers
loading . . .
https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/108748
2 months ago
0
9
8
Bloom
3 months ago
0
6
0
At a repair cafe getting a music stand fixed and it is an absolute joy of positivity and community spirit.
3 months ago
0
8
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
MetaROR
3 months ago
๐ Time flies! Exactly one year ago today
@rorinstitute.bsky.social
and
@aimosinc.bsky.social
launched MetaROR, a platform to publish metaresearch through the publish-review-curate approach. Over the course of the year, we published 28 articles reviewed by 59 different reviewers. [1/3]
loading . . .
MetaROR Turns One - MetaROR
An exciting year of open, community-driven evaluation of metaresearch One [...]
https://metaror.org/metaror-turns-one/
3
21
17
Bloom!
3 months ago
0
4
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
AIMOS
3 months ago
At the past two AIMOS conferences, we have had a free public lecture for the local community.
#AIMOS2025
follows suit! Join us for Ivan Oransky's public lecture:
events.humanitix.com/public-talk-...
but do so soon, seats are limited!
0
6
6
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Simon Gandevia
3 months ago
International Research Integrity Conference: it's underway in Sydney. Opening Sunday workshop by James Heathers on Forensic Metascience. Full program available:
researchintegrityconf.com
Thank you sleuths!
loading . . .
International Research Integrity Conference | 16-18 November 2025, Sydney, Australia
https://researchintegrityconf.com/
1
8
3
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Robin Blythe
3 months ago
New paper: we validated the Clinical Frailty Scale for predicting 90-day mortality in frail older adults. We show that the scale's predictive utility is low, but argue that mortality risk shouldn't be what catalyses end-of-life care discussions anyway
doi.org/10.1136/bmjo...
#statsky
#medsky
#episky
loading . . .
Validation of the Clinical Frailty Scale for predicting 90-day mortality in hospitalised older adults screened as at risk of nearing the end of life in Queensland, Australia: a multisite observational...
Background The Clinical Frailty Scale is an ordinal scale from 1 (very fit) to 9 (terminally ill) commonly used to assess frailty in older patients. It is simple for clinicians to apply and can help i...
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-108419
2
6
1
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Nick Brown
3 months ago
Oops. Ooooooooooooops. I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.
arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675
h/t
@nathlarigaldie.bsky.social
6
187
114
The Qld police are catching fewer badly behaving motorists, but yet they still find time to fine cyclists for speeding on the bike path. I saw four officers doing this a few months ago.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
loading . . .
Police enforcement on Qld roads drops almost 50pc in five years
Queensland Police concedes less time is being spent enforcing road safety than before the COVID pandemic, amid a rising number of traffic tragedies.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-09/queensland-police-data-road-enforcement-drop-as-deaths-rise/105971932
3 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Jack Wilkinson
3 months ago
Have increased capacity for this December INSPECT-SR online training workshop following a successful 1st event today. Book here:
www.trybooking.com/uk/FKHV
loading . . .
Introduction to INSPECT-SR Training Workshop December
An introductory 2-hour online workshop will introduce participants to the INSPECT-SR tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled...
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FKHV
0
12
9
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Robin Blythe
3 months ago
Glad to share our full paper on why deployed clinical prediction models should not discard predicted risks in favour of thresholds with
@rexwp.bsky.social
and
@aidybarnett.bsky.social
now up on
@jclinepi.bsky.social
. A brief explainer (1/4):
#statsky
#rstats
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m1D83BcJQ...
loading . . .
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1m1D83BcJQMFcZ
3
12
6
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
AusHSI
4 months ago
๐ฒ Working in a bingo hall as a boy,
#AusHSI
Prof
@aidybarnett.bsky.social
is well-versed in the game of chance. In
@significancemag.bsky.social
, learn about the
#lottery
for
#researchfunding
he now runs for the
@britishacademy.bsky.social
and how it works. ๐
bit.ly/3J7689t
| ๐
bit.ly/47HTlDH
0
4
2
My dog loves sleeping in a pot plant
4 months ago
0
12
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Carl T. Bergstrom
4 months ago
The dark truth behind
FormatMyPaper.com
loading . . .
Beware giving this site your unpublished data
Users noticed the website had fake testimonials and a domain name registered seemingly overnight.
https://ubadah.substack.com/p/beware-giving-this-site-your-unpublished\
8
186
84
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
AIMOS
4 months ago
With only about 10 spots left,
#AIMOS2025
will almost surely sell out this year. Register now to make sure you don't miss out!
aimos-inc.github.io/aimos.confer...
loading . . .
AIMOS2025 Conference
AIMOS conference 2025
https://aimos-inc.github.io/aimos.conference.2025/
0
6
6
Some real fake news! Paper mills are creating fake authors who can then serve as fake reviewers. The illustration of the fake reviewer sitting at their desk is excellent.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
loading . . .
How to spot fake scientists and stop them from publishing papers
Journals are considering doing identity checks to expose fake authors โ but there are downsides.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03341-9
4 months ago
1
14
7
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Johannes Gierschner
4 months ago
๐Also Sorbonne
bsky.app/profile/sorb...
pulled out of 'THE' University Ranking ๐ Important step in times of massive, systematic gaming by Universities, being a main incentive for Hyperprolific Publishing, Citation Cartels, Paper Mills & Junk Science!
#researchintegrity
,
#Chemsky
,
#CompChemSky
loading . . .
Why Sorbonne pulled out of university ranking
Franceโs Sorbonne University plans to leave the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings, adding its name to a growing number of universities rejecting lists that play one institution off against another...
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/universities/why-sorbonne-pulled-out-university-ranking
0
79
28
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Nature
4 months ago
Is it fair for grant reviewers โ who are often our colleagues โ to judge the legitimacy of career breaks due to personal circumstances?
go.nature.com/48yaJvF
loading . . .
Parenting, illnesses and medical commitments: the private details grant reviewers shouldnโt need to know
Is it fair for grant reviewers โ who are often our colleagues โ to judge the legitimacy of career breaks due to personal circumstances?
https://go.nature.com/48yaJvF
0
24
7
A good argument for preprinting everything here:
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
loading . . .
Client Challenge
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02947-3
4 months ago
0
1
0
I once worked in a bingo hall and saw the joy of people winning money at random. Now I randomise academics in the serious business of who wins research funding. With funding lotteries growing in popularity, I reflect on how to run them and the lessons from bingo.
academic.oup.com/jrssig/artic...
loading . . .
How to run a lottery
Abstract. Adrian Barnett worked in a bingo hall as a boy, and now runs a lottery for research funding. Here he explains how it works and how it might be be
https://academic.oup.com/jrssig/article/22/6/34/8275162
4 months ago
0
4
0
I think a lot about the general lack of statistical competence. Misspelling the great John Tukey's name as Turkey may seem harmless, but I can't think of how anyone whose is serious about statistics would do this.
4 months ago
1
9
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Alan McElligott
4 months ago
2025. (not just cancer lit....) Low quality papers are flooding the cancer literature โ can this AI tool help to catch them? A large language model scans abstracts and titles for signs that an article was produced by a 'paper-mill' company.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
loading . . .
Low quality papers are flooding the cancer literature โ can this AI tool help to catch them?
A large language model scans abstracts and titles for signs that an article was produced by a 'paper-mill' company.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02906-y
0
4
4
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
The Conversation UK
4 months ago
Lotteries may be fair in theory, but new research shows people prefer expert committees to decide who gets scarce medical treatment.
loading . . .
Should we decide by lottery who gets a medical treatment first?
Lotteries may be fair in theory, but new research shows people prefer expert committees to decide who gets scarce medical treatment.
https://tcnv.link/2aWZlMc
0
3
3
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
JAMES HEATHERS
4 months ago
Free data resources in science are having the shit mined out of them to produce X,000's of bullshit papers. What should we do? (Warning: I sat on this draft for too long, and publishers are already doing some of it. That's what I get for engaging with the news.)
open.substack.com/pub/jamescla...
loading . . .
How To Stop The Next 10,000 Bullshit Papers
Some remarkably un-radical proposals
https://open.substack.com/pub/jamesclaims/p/how-to-stop-the-next-10000-bullshit?r=6xosj&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
3
36
8
At last, a simple diagram that explains random forests. Go forth and make random diagrams, I mean random forests. From
www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejo...
4 months ago
1
4
0
It's 2025.723 and scientists are still putting too many decimal places in their results.
5 months ago
0
5
0
When the zombie apocalypse starts in Brisbane
5 months ago
1
0
0
reposted by
Adrian Barnett
Dalmeet Singh Chawla
6 months ago
Peer reviewers are more likely to recommend accepting papers that cite their work โ my latest for
@cenmag.bsky.social
:
cen.acs.org/policy/publi...
@aidybarnett.bsky.social
loading . . .
Peer reviewers like papers that cite them
New report finds that referees are more likely to recommend studies that refer to their own work
https://cen.acs.org/policy/publishing/Peer-reviewers-like-papers-cite/103/web/2025/08
0
3
4
Load more
feeds!
log in