An Introduction to Metascience and the Critical Appraisal of Research
From First Principles to Complex Concepts
For students, science journalists, investors, medical professionals, and anyone curious about the modern world. Easy enough to get started in a few hours (preview). Investigate the hidden history of the math behind 90% biomedical research.1
89% of introductory psychology textbooks that define significance do so incorrectly.2
77% of physicians & trainees missed the standard question on disease diagnosis.3
With the help of modern metascience, the ability to aggregate vast corpora, and a clear-eyed view of common practice, we can ask a fundamental question:
What is the probability that a scientific paper is true?
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References
Silva-Ayçaguer, L. C., Suárez-Gil, P. & Fernández-Somoano, A. The null hypothesis significance test in health sciences research (1995–2006): statistical analysis and interpretation. BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 10, 44 (2010). DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-10-44.
Cassidy, S. A., Dimova, R., Giguère, B., Spence, J. R. & Stanley, D. J. Failing grade: 89% of introduction-to-psychology textbooks that define or explain statistical significance do so incorrectly. Adv. Methods Pract. Psychol. Sci. 2, 233–239 (2019). DOI: 10.1177/2515245919858072.
Manrai, A. K., Bhatia, G., Strymish, J., Kohane, I. S. & Jain, S. H. Medicine’s uncomfortable relationship with math: calculating positive predictive value. JAMA Intern. Med. 174, 991–993 (2014). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1059.
Cite:
Byrnes, A. An Introduction to Metascience and the Critical Appraisal of Research: From First Principles to Complex Concepts (Routledge, 2026). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003735700
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