Have you ever heard of the Transparent Replications project? It’s a project launched by the nonprofit Clearer Thinking which aims to replicate any psychology study published in Science or Nature – as long as it’s not too expensive or technically difficult. Spencer Greenberg, the founder of Clearer Thinking, believes that this project will shift the incentives of scientists towards producing more robust research as opposed to just racking up another publication. With their 8-10 week timeline and four-person team, the project aims to provide an efficient way of testing the accuracy of research published in top journals and ultimately, to improve the reliability of the research being produced. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here