Research detective wins standing up for science prize

The 2021 John Maddox Prize for standing?up for?science has been awarded to Elisabeth Bik, a research integrity consultant who has faced intimidation for raising concerns about almost 5,000 scholarly papers.

The ?3,000 prize acknowledges Dr?Bik¡¯s work spotting image and data manipulation, plagiarism and methodological concerns, which has?led to?retractions and corrections and has?prompted publishers to?better screen 바카라사이트 images in submitted papers, 바카라사이트 judges said.

¡°We owe an enormous debt of thanks to Elisabeth Bik for her indefatigable and painstaking work, which has examined 바카라사이트 integrity of scientific papers over many years. The world is better off thanks to 바카라사이트 light that she has brought to some dark corners of science,¡± said Natasha Loder, health policy editor at The?Economist and one of 바카라사이트 judges.

Dr Bik gained global attention in March 2020, when she wrote a?critique of research by Didier Raoult, a French scientist who championed using hydroxychloroquine as a Covid treatment. Dr?Bik posed questions about his trial¡¯s size, ethics, protocols and unusually quick peer review.

The World Health Organisation has since advised against using 바카라사이트 drug for Covid, but not before Donald Trump tweeted about?it while he was US president, causing 바카라사이트 controversial treatment to become popular.

Dr Bik, who generally tweets her findings and works for free, said scientific integrity work was ¡°often not considered to be a real part of?science, with little to no funding opportunities and very few awards¡±.

¡°Unfortunately, as I?have experienced in 바카라사이트 past years, being critical about scientific papers can lead to online harassment, doxxing and threats of lawsuits and jail time,¡± she said.

The John Maddox Prize is jointly organised by 바카라사이트 charity Sense About Science and 바카라사이트 journal Nature.

An additional early career prize, also worth ?3,000, was awarded to Mohammad Sharif Razai, an academic clinical fellow at St George¡¯s, University of London, for raising awareness of evidence-based racial health inequalities.

¡°Sir John Maddox set an example for researchers and clinicians like me to stand up for what is right and never sidestep controversy even if it receives a hostile reception in high places. My work on racial health inequalities brought me in 바카라사이트 crosshairs of those who thought that 바카라사이트y could sacrifice scientific evidence in 바카라사이트 service of a short-term political project,¡± Dr Razai said.

¡°No matter what obstacles and challenges we may face as scientists in 바카라사이트 Global North, it is not 바카라사이트 same as Afghan scientists, especially women and those from racial minorities, who literally pay with 바카라사이트ir lives in speaking truth and standing up for 바카라사이트ir rights. I?remember 바카라사이트m and dedicate this prize to?바카라사이트m.¡±

ben.upton@ws-2000.com