> the informal communication about stuff "that everyone knows doesn't actually work"
Informal communication, as an important part of the system of "science", seems very underappreciated in nearby threads.
Science in quotes because even subfields can be very diverse.
Often the corrective mechanism isn't retractions or demotion, it's the hallway gossip at conferences, the "don't believe it - he (high-profile PI) sees what he wants to see". And associated differential aging-out of relevance. There can be a lot of science system state that isn't captured by the short-term state of the research literature.
But regrettably, as the stories here of smashed careers and lives illustrate, it can be very far from "everyone" that "knows". And a big difference between someone "knowing", and that being well expressed in their mentorship and leadership.
Informal communication, as an important part of the system of "science", seems very underappreciated in nearby threads.
Science in quotes because even subfields can be very diverse.
Often the corrective mechanism isn't retractions or demotion, it's the hallway gossip at conferences, the "don't believe it - he (high-profile PI) sees what he wants to see". And associated differential aging-out of relevance. There can be a lot of science system state that isn't captured by the short-term state of the research literature.
But regrettably, as the stories here of smashed careers and lives illustrate, it can be very far from "everyone" that "knows". And a big difference between someone "knowing", and that being well expressed in their mentorship and leadership.