Sam Harper
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sbh4th.bsky.social
Sam Harper
@sbh4th.bsky.social
1.8K followers 190 following 36 posts
Professor, Epidemiologist, McGill University. Impact evaluation, health inequalities, reproducible research. 🚲🍳🍷🎸🏸👨‍💻 https://samharper.org
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Reposted by Sam Harper
hansonmark.bsky.social
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
resprofnews.bsky.social
Opinion: Chaos is coming for scholarly publishing.

Buckling of commercial models alongside maturing of community-led efforts promises major shifts, says Caroline Edwards (@theblochian.bsky.social).

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Chaos is coming for scholarly publishing - Research Professional News
Buckling of commercial models alongside maturing of community-led efforts promises major shifts, says Caroline Edwards
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
aecoppock.bsky.social
encountered this article by David Weimer from 1986 (cited by 7) with three good ideas for improving science that just a few short decades later, we've started to implement.

Collective Delusion In The Social Sciences: Publishing Incentives For Empirical Abuse

doi.org/10.1111/j.15...
title page of article: There is a skeleton in the social science closet. Almost all of us have heard it rattled at one time or another.! Nevertheless, we collectively ignore it. Some ignore it because they do not think it is very scary: others because its putting to rest would require a major restructuring of our scholarly journals. Perhaps others even fear that admitting its existence would undermine belief in the empirical progress? the social sciences have apparently enjoyed since the widespread diffusion of statistical training and the ready availability of the computer. I will argue that the skeleton, the bias social science journals exhibit for publishing articles reporting statistically significant results, is dangerous The results of statistical tests should not be submitted to or als until after articles have been accepted for publica- tion.. would base their decisions on theory under discussions of the theory under consideration, the specific hypotheses to be tested, and the data sample to be used.? This would divert attention from the final result to the a priori specification of hypotheses and the appropriateness of data and statistical technique for testing them. Unfortunate-ly, this approach would not work unless adopted by all the relevant journals. If a single journal adopted it, researchers Any journal that publishes an article with statistical models should be required (by the disciplines?) to provide a page of space to anyone who wants to report the results of applying the authors' models to different sets of data. This approach would provide a less biased sampling of research results. It would also allow us to better gauge the robustness of our theories.8 Some journals now provide some space for veri-fications; doing so should be standard editorial practice. Researchers should be required to submit a statement with indicating their articles indicating whether or not the model being presented is the one actually first estimated from the data. A general description of statistical techniques would also be included in the submission. Is the presented model the first specification or is it the end product of stepwise regression or some other questionable data search? Where appropriate, the editor would affix a warning along the following lines next to results:
October 27, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Sam Harper
mendelrandom.bsky.social
Fantastic opportunity to lead the Equity Lab @wellcometrust.bsky.social working with the legendary Jimmy Volmink, details here wellcome.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/Wellco... Please repost so as many as possible can see this great opportunity
Associate Director, Equity Lab
Salary: £120,800 Closing date: 9th November Contract type: Permanent Interview dates: 24th and 28th November The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by fun...
wellcome.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:12 PM
sbh4th.bsky.social
McGill's @healthsciences.mcgill.ca Jay Kaufman critiquing public health guidance that "promote the powerful ideological message that being normal or abnormal ultimately depends on one’s race. That premise should be regarded as the truly malignant pathology"

lareviewofbooks.org/article/does...
Does One Size Fit All? | Los Angeles Review of Books
In the 10th essay in the Legacies of Eugenics series, Jay S. Kaufman shows how the science of human body size is suffused with cultural assumptions.
lareviewofbooks.org
September 29, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Sam Harper
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Horrors of Trump detention centre: Lisburn man tells his story after arrest for 'looking like a Mexican'

Lee Stinton was lifted by US immigration police on an American street — in an incident he compared to a kidnapping.

Here, he tells us his story.
September 10, 2025 at 7:27 AM
sbh4th.bsky.social
"Credit card perks for educated, usually urban professionals are being subsidized by people who have less. In other words, when you book a hotel room or enjoy entry to an airport lounge at no cost, poor consumers are ultimately footing the bill." www.nytimes.com/2023/03/04/o...
August 12, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Sam Harper
reeserichardson.bsky.social
Today, our article "The entities enabling scientific fraud at scale are large, resilient, and growing rapidly" is finally published in PNAS. I hope that it proves to be a wake-up-call for the whole scientific community.

reeserichardson.blog/2025/08/04/a...
A do-or-die moment for the scientific enterprise
Reflecting on our paper “The entities enabling scientific fraud at scale are large, resilient, and growing rapidly”
reeserichardson.blog
August 4, 2025 at 8:47 PM
sbh4th.bsky.social
What is going on here?

Why does Aalborg (or Copenhagen, Montreal, San Diego, etc.) even need a zoo?

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s...
A Zoo in Denmark Wants to Feed Your Pets to Its Predators
www.nytimes.com
August 5, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
adamjkucharski.bsky.social
Two PhD studentships available in real-time infectious disease modelling, jointly with LSHTM, Imperial and UKHSA. January 2026 start + 3.5 years of funding: www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/fees-a...
PhD studentships in real-time infectious disease modelling | LSHTM
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Imperial College London and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are pleased to invite applications for two PhD studentships in real-time
www.lshtm.ac.uk
July 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM
sbh4th.bsky.social
🤔🤔🤔

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/w...
That Cup of Coffee May Have a Longer-Term Perk
www.nytimes.com
June 3, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
carlbergstrom.com
Gold standard science
White House Health Report Included Fake Citations
www.nytimes.com
May 30, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
wvschaik.bsky.social
'Scientific conferences are leaving the US amid border fears'

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Scientific conferences are leaving the US amid border fears
Some meetings have been put on hold in response to foreign researchers’ travel concerns.
www.nature.com
May 25, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
retractionwatch.com
"In extremely rare move, Harvard revokes tenure and cuts ties with star business professor" Francesca Gino
In extremely rare move, Harvard revokes tenure and cuts ties with star business professor
An internal investigation had found that Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino’s research on why people lie and cheat was based on falsified data.
www.wgbh.org
May 25, 2025 at 9:08 PM
sbh4th.bsky.social
This report by ProPublica probably has more detailed description of methods than many *peer-reviewed* published papers. AND they shared their code! (github.com/propublica/t...)
May 6, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
jeremylabrecque.bsky.social
If you're looking for a post-doc in social health inequalities research and causal inference? Joost Oude-Groeniger and I have just such a position opening up.

www.werkenbijerasmusmc.nl/en/vacancy/1...
Vacature: Postdoc Preventing health inequalities by improving socioeconomic positions
Are you passionate about understanding how social policies shape health inequalities? Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher and help uncover the true impact of policies aimed at improving socioeconomic...
www.werkenbijerasmusmc.nl
May 2, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
madhupai.bsky.social
📣📣

We are looking for an Assistant Professor (tenure track) in the Department of Global and Public Health @mcgillspgh.bsky.social @healthsciences.mcgill.ca!

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill...
April 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Sam Harper
ikashnitsky.phd
💥José Manuel Aburto is seeking an early career colleague to join his forming team as a postdoc 🌿
JM is an exceptional mentor and friend. And now he is inviting a lucky colleague to join for an exciting ride. It's a highway to the frontier of demography. Catch this unique chance 🚀
lnkd.in/dBJyaF9p
José Manuel Aburto giving a presentation
March 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
sbh4th.bsky.social
Feels somewhat self-indulgent given the news cycle, but I want to take this moment to thank the anonymous students that sent a note of appreciation to me via @mcgill.ca 's 'Thank-a-Prof' program. These small gestures actually mean a lot and help keep us motivated to do more, better. Thank you!
March 13, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
brenttoderian.bsky.social
“They cut speed limits, changed street design, removed space for cars… Now it appears that work is paying off. Oslo & Helsinki are reaping the rewards of committed action on making their roads safer, reducing pedestrian fatalities to zero last year.” #VisionZero #SpeedKills #Oslo #Helsinki
How Helsinki and Oslo cut pedestrian deaths to zero
After years of committed action, neither city recorded a single pedestrian fatality in 2019
www.theguardian.com
February 18, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
cedr.bsky.social
New results from "The Nation's Report Card" just dropped and they are pretty bad. I got a sneak peek as a member of IES’s Standing Committee, so I had an extra day or so to ruminate about them. A few thoughts 👇
1/n
January 29, 2025 at 5:38 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
matthewherper.bsky.social
FDA purges material on clinical trial diversity from its site, showing stakes of Trump DEI ban

From me and @lizzylawrence.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/01/23/f...
FDA purges material on clinical trial diversity from its site, showing stakes of Trump DEI ban
Following the Trump administration's DEI ban, the FDA's move to scrub webpages has ensnared many pages focused on ensuring diversity in drug trials.
www.statnews.com
January 23, 2025 at 10:32 PM
sbh4th.bsky.social
There is just no going back from this.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/u...
Violent Acts of Many Jan. 6 Rioters Pardoned by Trump Are Shown in Videos
President Trump pardoned men who violently attacked police officers on Jan. 6 along with nearly 1,600 other people who had been charged in connection with the riot. But his grant of clemency did not e...
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
brendannyhan.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/u...

"dragged into the crowd ... attacked with a stun gun"
"used an American flag to pummel another officer"
"charged with using a baseball bat to beat officers"
"swinging a metal flagpole at an officer"
"attacked the police with a chair and chemical spray"
Violent Acts of Many Jan. 6 Rioters Pardoned by Trump Are Shown in Videos
President Trump pardoned men who violently attacked police officers on Jan. 6 along with nearly 1,600 other people who had been charged in connection with the riot. But his grant of clemency did not e...
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by Sam Harper
erichehman.bsky.social
We've had a paper reviewed by ERROR, which has concluded we had a "major error that affects a core conclusion"
Few comments on the conclusion and the process in general
1/n
error.reviews ERROR @error.reviews · Jan 20
New report! Hehman et al. (2018) "Disproportionate Use of Lethal Force in Policing Is Associated With Regional Racial Biases". Based on the review by @conjugateprior.org, we find a Major Error that affects a core conclusion. We recommend the authors seek a correction.
error.reviews/reviews/hehm...
Hehman et al. (2018)
ERROR is a bug bounty program for science to systematically detect and report errors in academic publications
error.reviews
January 20, 2025 at 6:32 PM