metascience

Metascience, also called meta-science or the science of science, is the study of how scientific research is conducted, reported, evaluated, and rewarded. It examines the methods, practices, and incentives that shape the production of scientific knowledge with the aim of improving reliability, efficiency, and impact.

The field developed over the late 20th century and gained prominence during the replication crisis of the 2010s. Influential work, such as that by John Ioannidis, highlighted issues such as bias, selective reporting, and high rates of non-reproducible results in various disciplines. Metascience employs empirical methods to study science itself, including systematic reviews, bibliometric analyses, surveys, and controlled experiments about research practices.

Core topics include reproducibility and replicability, statistical practices and p-value interpretation, publication bias and selective reporting, the effectiveness of peer review, authorship norms, collaboration dynamics, and incentives that may favor novelty over reliability. It also addresses research waste, data management, and transparency.

Methods and practices commonly explored in metascience include preregistration and registered reports, open data and open materials, sharing of code, replication studies, and large-scale collaborative projects. Meta-analyses and cross-disciplinary surveys help quantify patterns in research quality and reproducibility, while policy studies examine how funding, tenure systems, and journals influence behavior.

Impact and applications of metascience include guiding policy and funding decisions, informing journal policies on transparency and preregistration, and helping researchers design more robust studies. Challenges involve balancing rigor with innovation, applying findings across diverse fields, and allocating resources for replication efforts.

Notable figures and organizations associated with metascience include researchers such as Ioannidis and initiatives like the Center for Open Science, which promote open science practices and methodological evaluation.