Woolie
Senior Member
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A nice test of any study is to ask, "Would the results have been publishable if the answer to the question turned out to be 'no'"?Since they were creating propaganda with a predetermined conclusion, there was simply no need to bother with tedious details like editing the data, or even looking at it, apparently. Their bonehead programmers need to venture out of the ivory tower once in a while, although they probably wouldn't last a day in an office where software is expected to, you know... actually work.
To be fair, very few studies pass this test.
But just to consider this case, how interesting is this headline?
"Study finds that climate change sceptics are not likely to believe in conspiracy theories"
Not very exciting is it? So we're talking about a study where the researcher is highly motivated to obtain a positive result. Raises huge, er, red flags for me.