In at least 300 words, reply to the original poster. You must use at least two scholarly journals to support your response. You must also use at least one reference from the New International Version Bible. All citations must be in APA 7th Edition format with both in-text citations and a References page. Journals must be from within the past 5 years. You must also use the attached text as a reference.
Original Poster (Daniel Sokol)
Pelz states “The goal of scientific research is to discover laws and postulate theories that can explain natural or social phenomena, or in other words, build scientific knowledge. It is important to understand that this knowledge may be imperfect or even quite far from the truth (n.d.).”
It is also necessary to research the research. In many fields there exists large bodies of research that are based on debunked studies. Ioannidis states “a research finding is less likely to be true when the studies conducted in a field are smaller; when effect sizes are smaller; when there is a greater number and lesser preselection of tested relationships; where there is greater flexibility in designs, definitions, outcomes, and analytical modes; when there is greater financial and other interest and prejudice; and when more teams are involved in a scientific field in chase of statistical significance (2022).”
There also exists a publication bias. Journals are more likely to publish studies with significant p-values, despite a study with a low p-value that shows that a certain drug may not be an effective treatment would be of greater interest to neurologists treating the disease. Scott states “The retraction adds to the crisis of confidence in scientific research overall, which my colleague Kelsey Piper has documented extensively. As Science noted last week, the Alzheimer’s study is among the most cited papers ever to be retracted after accumulating nearly 2,500 citations over the past 18 years. The 2006 paper had appeared to be an important breakthrough in our understanding of how Alzheimer’s works, providing the precise mechanisms that undergirded the prevailing theory of the disease.
But that was, as we now know, a fraudulent discovery (2024).”
How many researchers are going to use one of those 2,500 citations as the basis for their research?
Research that we now know is based on bad data.
How does this build scientific knowledge?
The comparative method, as defined by Lijphart, has an intermediate status in terms of both his criteria. It is a much weaker methodology compared to the experimental or statistical method for evaluation of hypotheses. The lack of experimental control and the problem and many variables in combination can create the illusion of correlation or relationship.
For example if there is a severe rainstorm and a house floods, the assumption is that the flooding resulted from the storm, not a burst pipe in the wall.
The “logic of inference” is especially useful in the field of intelligence analysis. If an organization such as the Taliban has representatives meeting with Mexican Cartels, it would be reasonable to state “there is a high probability to infer that the organizations are meeting to discuss the illicit trade in weapons and narcotics, with a lower probability of personnel movement as cartels do engage in human smuggling operations.” Being able to identify patterns and behaviors and infer relationships is a vital skill for many fields such as researchers, intelligence analysts, and investment managers.
There are several research methodologies that are necessary for my dissertation. The first
of these and “the most traditional approach is ‘black letter’ methodology, which takes its name
from the tendency of legalistic approaches to concentrate solely on the ‘letter of the law’
(LawTeacher, 2013).” “Discourse analysis”, which analyzes the arguments employed by
opposing parties (Kaupa, 2016).”
References
Kaupa, C. (2016, December 14). (6) methods and approaches to research legal questions in your thesis. Medium. https://medium.com/legal-methodology/6-methods-and-approaches-toresearchLinks to an external site. legal-questions-in-your-thesis-8caada918bb5
LawTeacher. (November 2013). Writing A Law Dissertation Methodology. Retrieved fromhttps://www.lawteacher.net/law-help/dissertation/writing-law-dissertationmethodology.php?vref=1
Pelz, P. B. (n.d.). Research methods for the Social Sciences. Chapter 1 Science and Scientific Research | Research Methods for the Social Sciences. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-research-methods/chapter/chapter-1-science-and-scientific-research/
Scott, D. (2024, June 17). Do we have alzheimer’s disease all wrong? Vox. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/355108/alzheimers-disease-drug-approval-research-retraction
