Author: Mathias Klode
Position: Graduate Student
Institution: University of Hamburg
E-mail: MathiasKlode@lodae.de
Submitted Date: February 27, 2007
Published Date: February 28, 2007
This comment was originally posted as a “Reader Response” on the publication date indicated above. All Reader Responses are now available as comments.

I wonder if Mr. Ioannidis realizes the effect this essay has on the public opinion of science. What troubles me most is the way the titles seems to state that half of all research findings are false, but in the article itself, all data discussed is taken from medical studies or trials.

I think - as the article is published in a medical journal - it is natural to the author, that mostly medicine-related publications are meant. The same holds true for the attentive reader.

But in any case, the title and even the abstract is leading to the false conclusion, that this essay is about scientific publications in general. And it is discussed under this premise by the media.

As a last humble note, I would like to point out that the longing for scientific truth (which does not really exist, as we hopefully all know) demands for papers and studies stating results that could be erroneous. What else could we falsify? I see no point in underlining this principle as if it were something undesirable and surprising. It should be obvious to every scientist.