Timeline for What should be done when the theory behind a PhD thesis turns out to be wrong?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Dec 9, 2019 at 12:03 | comment | added | Ben | As I understand you have split the possible results of a scientific experiment into three categories, 1. data confirms hypothesis 2. data disproves hypothesis 3. there is insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the hypothesis. I agree with the categories. I also agree that if the data disproves the hypothesis then it is still a valid result. What I disagree with is the assertion that category 3 is a failed experiment. Such studies still provide important context to future research, especially if data in the field is difficult to collect. | |
| Dec 8, 2019 at 20:44 | comment | added | Buffy | You have interpreted my answer wrongly, @Ben. Such studies are valid, they just give no evidence for the hypothesis. That was the point, actually. | |
| Dec 8, 2019 at 20:25 | comment | added | Ben | This answer is wrong and dangerously wrong! Studies which show an effect which is not statistically significant are still valid. If studies are excluded from publication on that basis alone then it screws up the possibility of meta-analysis. | |
| Dec 8, 2019 at 7:16 | comment | added | einpoklum | In theoretical fields, "Known to be true" = "Proven" (essentially). | |
| Dec 8, 2019 at 0:04 | comment | added | StefanH | In math a counterexample to some conjecture is important, there are dozens of examples out there. And "impossibility" proofs are of great value after identifying why something is not working, a famous example would be the negative solution to the Entscheidungsproblem and Gödel's incompleteness theorems. | |
| Dec 7, 2019 at 20:10 | comment | added | Buffy | @einpoklum-reinstateMonica, but the conjecture isn't known to be true at the start. It may even be false. Research is gathering evidence for one or the other. Definitive evidence is best. But the attitude should be "Is this true?", not "This is true." at the beginning. Too many researchers get committed to the truth of their hypothesis and wind up getting into various errors. Even in math and theoretical physics, the statement comes first, but you need the proof. | |
| Dec 7, 2019 at 20:05 | comment | added | einpoklum | A lot of research is definitely taking a statement - call it "a conjecture" if you will - and proving that it is true. Perhaps not in the more applied fields, but in theoretical ones - definitely. | |
| Dec 6, 2019 at 15:52 | comment | added | user2390246 | "You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right." - Randall Munroe | |
| Dec 6, 2019 at 1:11 | history | answered | Buffy | CC BY-SA 4.0 |