The last ten years have witnessed increasing awareness of questionable research practices (QRPs) in the life sciences, including p-hacking, HARKing, lack of replication, publication bias, low statistical power and lack of data sharing (see Figure 1). Concerns about such behaviours have been raised repeatedly for over half a century but the incentive structure of academia has not changed to address them. Despite the complex motivations that drive academia, many QRPs stem from the simple fact that the incentives which offer success to individual scientists conflict with what is best for science. On the one hand are a set of gold standards that centuries of the scientific method have proven to be crucial for discovery: rigour, reproducibility, and transparency. On the other hand are a set of opposing principles born out of the academic career model: the drive to produce novel and striking results, the importance of confirming prior expectations, and the need to protect research interests from competitors. Within a culture that pressures scientists to produce rather than discover, the outcome is a biased and impoverished science in which most published results are either unconfirmed genuine discoveries or unchallenged fallacies. This observation implies no moral judgement of scientists, who are as much victims of this system as they are perpetrators.

Course syllabus for MUS 180: Introduction to Library Research MethodsThe purpose of this course is to orient you to music research, for academic and professional purposes. You will also receive an introduction to writing about music including citing using the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, and writing program notes. Course content will focus on using library resources including physical and digital collections. Contact the course instructor (Carolyn Doi, Music Librarian, carolyn.doi@usask.ca with any questions or concerns throughout the course. 

Introduction to Political Science Research Methods, 1st edition, is an Open Education Resource Textbook that surveys the research methods employed in political science. The textbook includes chapters that cover: history and development of the empirical study of politics; the scientific method; theories, hypotheses, variables, and units; conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of political concepts; elements of research design including the logic of sampling; qualitative and quantitative research methods and means of analysis; and research ethics.

Authors:
- Josh Franco, Cuyamaca College
- Charlotte Lee, Berkeley City College
- Kau Vue, Fresno City College
- Dino Bozonelos, Victor Valley College
- Masa Omae, San Diego City College
- Steven Cauchon, Imperial Valley College

PDF Version ISBN: 978-1-7351980-0-2

This course introduces students to the scientific study of the mind and behavior and to the applications of psychological theory to life. Topics include: research methods; biopsychology; lifespan development; memory; learning; social psychology; personality; and psychological health and disorders. This course will establish a foundation for subsequent study in psychology. Resources include: Video, Articles, and Class Activities.

This course is designed to introduce you to a range of basic sociological principles so that you can develop your own sociological imagination. You will learn about the origins of sociology as a discipline and be introduced to major sociological theories and methods of research. You will also explore such topics as sex and gender, deviance, and racism.

This series of recorded lectures on research methods in political science was developed by Professor Emily Regan Wills for the course POL 2156 Foundations of Research in Political Science at the University of Ottawa (Canada). Recorded as part of making it a blended/flipped course, topics covered in the videos include paradigms of research in political science, research ethics, relational accountability, understanding causality, research with people, research with communities, and research with numbers.

Using source evaluation as the theme, discussed different article types such as government reports, case studies, literature reviews, peer-reviewed scholarly articles, law reviews, self-published articles, and the value of each. Class included a hands-on activity with worksheet.

Open courseware for Macroevolution, focusing on research methods and software packages, such as R.

Course description
Evolutionary thinking provides the underpinnings of modern biology. In recent decades, the field of macroevolution (evolution above the species level) has matured into a rich discipline with a well-developed mathematical theory for testing hypotheses of species diversification, for understanding trait evolution, and evaluating patterns of covariation across the tree of life. This course will provide a synthetic view of biology and how life on earth has changed over time.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will:
Understand patterns of diversity in the fossil record, and changes in that diversity over time
Understand macroevolutionary patterns and processes, and the difference between gradualism, stasis, and punctuated equilibrium
Become familiar with ‘tree thinking’, and understand the principles of using a phylogenetic perspective to address evolutionary questions in biology
Gain experience in applying cutting-edge phylogenetic methods for testing hypotheses in macroevolution

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Technology has made many everyday decisions easier to make. “What should I eat?”, “What should I watch?”, “What’s the best way to get home?” Unfortunately, many people still struggle to make tougher decisions, such as finding the best treatment option for diabetes or figuring out where the journey to personal fitness should begin. Science doesn’t always offer personalized solutions. But researchers argue that it can. Borrowing from nature’s own decision-making process, evolution, they’ve devised a method for turning scientific results into tailored solutions for patients, providers, and policy makers. This is agile science. One problem with how medical science is done today is that it’s mainly concerned with what works for the greatest number of people under average conditions. Whether that’s figuring out the best treatment for a disease or designing a new drug. It’s a logical approach, especially when working with limited resources..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This course introduces you to behavioral science theories, methods, and tools and provides opportunities to use and apply them to problems you will encounter in your work and career. The course material will begin with an overview of work and organizations in modern industrial society, and then examine individual behavior, move to behavior in groups or teams, and finally discuss organizations as a whole. It is expected that at the end of the course you will: (a) know something about managerial psychology, (b) know how to learn more, (c) understand the behavioral research process, and (d) develop skills in presenting your ideas in oral and written reports.

Numerous biases are believed to affect the scientific literature, but their actual prevalence across disciplines is unknown. To gain a comprehensive picture of the potential imprint of bias in science, we probed for the most commonly postulated bias-related patterns and risk factors, in a large random sample of meta-analyses taken from all disciplines. The magnitude of these biases varied widely across fields and was overall relatively small. However, we consistently observed a significant risk of small, early, and highly cited studies to overestimate effects and of studies not published in peer-reviewed journals to underestimate them. We also found at least partial confirmation of previous evidence suggesting that US studies and early studies might report more extreme effects, although these effects were smaller and more heterogeneously distributed across meta-analyses and disciplines. Authors publishing at high rates and receiving many citations were, overall, not at greater risk of bias. However, effect sizes were likely to be overestimated by early-career researchers, those working in small or long-distance collaborations, and those responsible for scientific misconduct, supporting hypotheses that connect bias to situational factors, lack of mutual control, and individual integrity. Some of these patterns and risk factors might have modestly increased in intensity over time, particularly in the social sciences. Our findings suggest that, besides one being routinely cautious that published small, highly-cited, and earlier studies may yield inflated results, the feasibility and costs of interventions to attenuate biases in the literature might need to be discussed on a discipline-specific and topic-specific basis.

For use with the exercises on outlining journal articles, this video reviews how to read and outline a journal article for use in a literature review.

Topic 2: Psychological ResearchTextbook readings: pp. 35-36; pp. 42-48; pp. 52-56; pp. 60-63.Watch: Understanding Research, Discovering Psychology Series - This program examines how we know what we know. You'll explore the scientific method, the distinction between fact and theory, and the different ways in which data are collected and applied, both in labs and in real-world settings.[©2001 WGBH Educational Foundation All Rights Reserved]Learning objectives:1.      Describe the purpose of research.Describe these common types of research “methods” in psychology: case study, naturalistic observation, surveys, correlational studies; and experimental studies.Identify and define important terms related to the “experimental” method, especially hypothesis, random assignment, sample, population, independent variable, dependent variable, experimental group and control group.Describe ethical principles that should be applied when conducting research.

Microbes rule the reef. They determine both coral reef health and decline. Exploration of their diverse roles in these ecosystems has become possible only recently with the development of new research methods, such as metagenomics. Join San Diego State microbial ecologist Forest Rohwer as he builds his case for the role of microbes in the DDAMnation of coral reefs. His research expeditions to the remote Line Islands, including trips with Scripps scientists, have provided new insights into the mechanisms by which human activities can influence reef health; how we convert the essential microbial partners of a healthy coral reef ecosystem into coral killers. (28 minutes)

This site helps students see how plants and animals interact to accomplish pollination. Students (Grades 3-8) identify plant and animal parts involved in pollination, connections between pollination and food production, relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, and ways flowers have adapted to encourage pollination.

Hear from Andrew Foster, editor at the Journal of Development Economics, and Irenaeus Wolff, a guest editor for Experimental Economics, as they discuss their experiences with implementing the Registered Reports format, how it was received by authors, and the trends they noticed after adoption. Aleksandar Bogdanoski of BITSS also joins us to explore pre-results review, how to facilitate the process at journals, and best practices for supporting authors and reviewers.

The author of Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, Amy Blackstone, started envisioning this textbook while sitting in her own undergraduate sociology research methods class. She enjoyed the material but wondered about its relevance to her everyday life and future plans (the idea that one day she would be teaching such a class hadn't yet occurred to her).

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different research methods used by psychologistsDiscuss the strengths and weaknesses of case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys, and archival researchCompare longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches to research