Does condensed matter physics need to worry about a replication crisis?

During the last decade, the social and biomedical sciences have been grappling with a “replication crisis,” in which a large fraction of published results cannot be verified or reproduced. The causes and solutions to this replication crisis are still not entirely clear, but generally its roots involve publication bias, the predominance of trendy research narratives, and unreliable or fraudulent manipulation of data.

Condensed matter physics, as a field, has largely been considered immune to replication crises by its practitioners, since its experiments tend to be data-rich as compared to those in the social or biomedical sciences. But many of the same root problems are also prevalent in condensed matter, so it is both reasonable and timely to consider the questions: do we need to worry about a replication crisis coming for us? Is it already here?

In this short workshop we will review the replication crisis as it has arisen in the social and medical sciences, then consider a few case studies of prominent recent results in condensed matter that have proven unreliable, and close with a panel discussion.

More information, such as the program and registration links, can be found on this VSF website.

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