Bite-Size Science and Its Undesired Side Effects

Abstract

Short and rapid publication of research findings has many advantages. However, there is another side of the coin that needs careful consideration. We argue that the most dangerous aspect of a shift toward “bite-size” publishing is the relationship between study size and publication bias. Findings based on a single study or a study based on a limited sample size are more likely to be false positive, because the false positive rate remains constant, whereas the true positive rate (the power) declines as sample size declines. Pressure on productivity and on novelty value further exacerbates the problem.