Has nutritional science been misinterpreted? : an introduction

Abstract

Is there something wrong with medical science? Dr Randy Schekman, a 2013 Nobel prize-winner for physiology, recently criticised the way scientific journals are run and announced that his laborator y at the University of California, Berkeley, will boycott what he describes as “luxury journals” – meaning those regarded as the most prestigious, such as Cell, Nat ure and Science. Dr Schekman claims such journals artificially restrict the number of accepted papers, which is more conducive to selling subscriptions than publishing the best research. He also argues that science is being distorted by the tyranny of the “impact factor” – researchers who publish in high impact journals can expect promotion, pay rises and professional accolades. Those who do not can expect obscurity or even the sack, a sort of Darwinian system known as “publish or perish”.