Does the specification of uncertainty hurt the progress of science?

[Loet Leydesdorff]

Does the specification of uncertainty hurt the progress of science?
<http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.5272> 


In "Caveats for using statistical significance tests in research
assessments,"--forthcoming in the Journal of Informetrics, but available at
arXiv:1112.2516 <http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.2516>  -- Schneider (2012)
focuses on Opthof & Leydesdorff (2010) as an example of the misuse of
statistics in the social sciences. However, our conclusions are theoretical
since they are not dependent on the use of one statistics or another. We
agree with Schneider insofar as he proposes to develop further statistical
instruments (such as effect sizes). Schneider (2012), however, argues on
meta-theoretical grounds against the specification of uncertainty because,
in his opinion, the presence of statistics would legitimate decision-making.
We disagree: uncertainty can also be used for opening a debate.
Scientometric results in which error bars are suppressed for
meta-theoretical reasons should not be trusted. 

 

Loet Leydesdorff & Tobias Opthof

(Submitted on 24 Sep 2012; available at http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.5272.)

 

** apologies for cross-postings

  _____  

Loet Leydesdorff 

Professor, University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam.
Tel. +31-20-525 6598; fax: +31-842239111

 <mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net> loet at leydesdorff.net ;
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/> http://www.leydesdorff.net/ 
Visiting Professor,  <http://www.istic.ac.cn/Eng/brief_en.html> ISTIC,
Beijing; Honorary Fellow,  <http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/> SPRU, University
of Sussex;  <http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ych9gNYAAAAJ&hl=en>
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ych9gNYAAAAJ&hl=en  



 

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