This is having big real world consequences. In Long Covid research there has been a tonne of near duplication of work and its apparent none of the work is really building on prior work as the sheer volume of papers is impossible to keep up with. Most of its unremarkable in the sense it hasn't moved further than findings on ME/CFS from decades prior, so much of the work is too shallow to be of use.
Then the other side of this is the psychology side of things which has been publishing some grade A nonsense and none of the findings hold up to any scrutiny once a replication is attempted.
There there is all the widespread fraud where medical images have been fabricated in various ways, the data often shows clear signs of fabrication as well.
Its a real mess and its harming real people who need this research to inform proper treatments.
Science publishing is central to the whole scientific endeavour, and should be governed in ways that avoid the pathologies described above. The current system poses risks to the credibility and integrity of the scientific endeavour, a crucially important issue when the proper functioning of science is so central to the whole range of human concerns. It is for these reasons that it is imperative to set acceptable standards for publishing, to identify and highlight anti-competitive activities by publishers, and to facilitate coordinated responses by institutions globally when they negotiate contracts with publishers
Low and middle-income countries in Asia face significant disparities in scientific capacity and ability to influence public policy, which is likely to affect responses to future pandemics, climate change and technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence, according to the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA).
I originally read the title as "it is more difficult to influence public policy in least-developed countries based on this study" but it appears it's actually "it is more difficult for scientists to advocate for science-backed policies in least-developed countries."
Call for experts to participate in the IPCC Scoping Meeting for a Methodology Report on the Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage
Call for experts to participate in the IPCC Scoping Meeting for a Methodology Report on the Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage