SSA QLD Branch Meeting: Using meta-research to quantify the implications of “publish or perish” on statistical reporting

Please join us in person or online for our July Queensland Branch Meeting. The seminar will start at 5:00 pm. Details for the seminar are provided below.

TITLE: Using meta-research to quantify the implications of “publish or perish” on statistical reporting.

SPEAKER: Dr Nicole White, Queensland Universtiy of Technology

TIME: 5:00 - 6:30 pm (AEST), 31^st July 2024

VENUE:  314 Teaching Suite, UQ Brisbane City, 308 Queen St, Brisbane and online (Zoom details will be sent with registration).
Special instructions for in-person venue:

Enter through the main door at 308 Queen Street and pass through the Atrium. Speak to the concierge at the elevator located at the back of the room, and notify them that you are attending the Statistical Society of Australia event.

Please note that the seminar will be recorded and might be put on YouTube or similar platform.

ABSTRACT:

As statisticians, we recognise that well-designed, conducted and communicated statistical analyses improve research quality. Statistical analysis is integral to the scientific method and underpins much of today’s published research. When writing up study findings for publication, researchers are encouraged to provide sufficient descriptions of statistical methods used to ensure that their work is transparent and that findings are interpreted correctly and reproducible. Yet, the prevailing “publish or perish” culture in research has created incentives to prioritise quantity over quality and, arguably by extension, the communication of novelty over rigour. This talk will explore the implications of these trends in scientific publishing on effective statistical reporting. I will present findings from two “research on research” studies that used text mining to examine different behaviours affecting statistical reporting—the use of cut-and-paste text in statistical methods sections and publication bias in clinical prediction modelling. The presentation will also include a broader discussion about the role of statisticians as advocates for improving research quality.

SPEAKER'S BIO:

Dr Nicole White is a statistician with the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) and the QUT Centre for Healthcare Transformation. After obtaining her PhD in Statistics in 2011, Nicole's research has combined developments in statistical modelling with their application to understanding complex health data. Nicole is an experienced cross-disciplinary researcher who has collaborated with academics, clinicians, and decision-makers across a range of health and medical research areas, including critical care, hospital-acquired complications, and infectious diseases.