Humility is vital in science, even for The BMJ

It is reassuring to learn just how robust The BMJ’s processes are for appraising submissions. One of the journal’s great strengths is its toleration of dissent, and it has served as a vital crucible for advancing scientific debate and understanding.In that spirit, the appeal to authority implied by saying that those who might find some editorial decisions “baffling” are not “data literate or haven’t mastered critical appraisal and research methods”1 is uncharacteristic and unnecessary.Reasonable minds differ. The BMJ inevitably and appropriately exercises subjectivity in selecting which research to publish, according to the journal’s values, priorities, and world view. In service of greater transparency and objectivity, The BMJ has done much to draw attention to the problem of publication biases, but it would be naive to assume the journal is unaffected.Should The BMJ want to do more to reduce the distorting influence of publication biases, it could permit authors to seek…
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