Kafka's Truth-seeking Dogs

摘要

Epidemiologic research has unavoidable errors. It is virtually impossible to get point estimates exactly right. At best, we can hope that we estimate effects in the right direction and within reasonable proximity to the true effect size for the population under study. There are an endless number of choices epidemiologists must make when we select our research topic, design our study, analyze the results, and present the findings. We all trust that these decisions are made in good faith. We have to act like Kafka's truth-seeking dogs; the search for truth should be our only aspiration. Yet, we know this is not always the case. We may put emphasis on elements in applications or in article that will increase our probability of being funded or being published. That kind of career-boosting is the dope of science and, like doping in sports, it destroys fair competition. Research results will have no value if they cannot be trusted within the limits with which we. The mechanisms that lead to minor unjustifiedmanipulation of data may even lead to more severe and rare types of dishonesty, such as fabrication of data. Dishonesty may pay off in the short run but will hopefully be discovered with time.