Law Department Management Blog
Bearing in mind the benefits of more reproducible research regarding legal management, a piece in the Economist, July 25, 2015 at page 8, makes a good point. That short article explains how pharmaceutical companies have not been publishing results from clinical trials regarding their drug research that are negative or inconclusive. Without the full results, no one can accurately and comprehensively assess the efficacy of a new drug.
Stated differently, someone is not practicing reproducible research if they cherry pick only the results that show their drug in clinical trials has met with success. It would be akin to a surveyor who asks law firms or law departments a set of questions but then publicizes only the data that puts the surveyor’s views or products or services in a favorable light. In contrast, research that is done with integrity discloses contradictory findings, unexplained findings, as well as favorable findings. Reproducible research implies full disclosure.