With the large influx of money into science (think 50 years timescale not 1-2) science has changed from a hobby to a profession. What was once a pursuit for the truth has transitioned to a pursuit for truth that is dominated by careerism and posturing. Certain Nature editors are calling young scientists inconsequential and anonymous peers on Pubpeer are calling papers less credible because they are co-authored by graduate students. So what does credibility in science even mean? Data is data and it doesn’t change if someone from Harvard collects it or someone inside a garage collects it, right citizen scientists?



I don’t know where Albert Einstein went to school or Max Planck or Charles Darwin or Leigh Van Valen and frankly I don’t care because it doesn’t matter in science. BUT as we begin to place value on unscientific measures, like what journal we publish in or where we come from, these actions negatively affect science.

In one study previously published papers were assigned fake institution names like “Tri-Valley Center for Human Potential,” and resubmitted to the same journals that had published them originally. The outcome of the study: eight out of nine (89%) were rejected because they had “serious methodological flaws.” Another study found that the prestige of the institution correlated with the likelihood a report, but not full article, was accepted for publication.

This means that we are judging work not by its own merit but by the prestige or brand of scientist that publishes it. Ultimately this has created a crisis in science because scientists are motivated to build their brand not uncover the truth. The ever-blunt Michael Eisen (not going to tell you where he is professor at because it shouldn’t matter) hits the nail on the head:

“The real reproducibility problem is that far too many scientists think of science as a game – with publishing in SNC [Science, Nature, Cell] how you win”

We are trying to create a solution for this with The Winnower. And yes, we know that when we ask you to publish here it may seem ironic when we say it doesn’t matter where you publish but it doesn’t, it matters how you publish and currently there is no one else doing what we are: instant publication with open post-publication review. We want to align building your brand with uncovering nature’s secrets.