
Reproducibility and reciprocity | Simply Statistics - tel
http://simplystatistics.org/2013/04/30/reproducibility-and-reciprocity/
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tel
This is incredibly important to any kind of open science/transparency
movement. As an even more stark example, imagine the problems with scientific
rigor and transparency to a risk-bearing institution like a pharmaceutical
company interested in defending a drug. If they publish their data openly and
with easy access it becomes easy for an outsider to "discover" side effects or
reduced effect sizes.

In some cases these secondary analyses might be damning. In others, like the
ones highlighted in this article, they might also be methodologically flawed.
In either case this situation disincentivizes drug companies, even if you
assume complete good faith and forward thinking, from publicizing their
research in a too easily accessible format.

ClinicalTrials.gov is a regulatory measure to enforce transparency, but it's
difficult to understand what incentives could possibly motivate a risk-bearing
evidence producer to submit to this transparency meaningfully. Even if you're
completely confident your drug is side-effect free, it's expensive to fight
off critics armed with your own data.

