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Editorial Snapshot: Online tools identify statistical and genetic mistakes in published manuscripts

– G.A., Senior Editor

Peer review is a fundamental part of the scientific process. One goal of peer review is to identify flawed or unethical research before it enters the body of literature. However, as peer reviewers are only human, it remains possible for subtle, but major, problems to be overlooked in manuscripts that are published in even the most prestigious journals.

Given this limitation, some scientists have turned to the power of software to scan manuscripts and identify potential problems. In 2016, software that scanned published psychology manuscripts for statistical inconsistencies identified problems with statistical testing in half of all manuscripts scanned.

This year, two scientists developed a program that can scan the gene sequences reported in published manuscripts and identify errors. Although still undergoing beta testing, the software, named Seek & Blastn, has already identified problems in at least 60 oncology manuscripts.

While some scientists have been upset by the results of software-based reviews of their published manuscripts, it is clear that technology is superior to the human eye at spotting subtle scientific flaws in manuscripts. To avoid any potential embarrassment to authors by calling attention to problems with statistics or gene sequences in their manuscripts, let’s hope that software tools for spotting such errors can be made available to all scientists for use before potentially flawed manuscripts are submitted to journals.

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