# Podcasts to Address the Impact of the Culture of Science on Reproducibility of Research

> **NIH NIH R25** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2020 · $54,361

## Abstract

Recent studies have shown that a substantial amount of published research results cannot be reproduced by
other laboratories under the conditions described in publications. This has led to the conclusion that there is a
‘reproducibility crisis’ in science today. Three years ago, the NIH began funding efforts to create educational
modules to help better train scientists to achieve more reproducible research (RFA-GM-18-002). The NIH
chose to focus their efforts on four domains: (1) Experimental design; (2) Laboratory practices; (3) Analysis
and reporting; and (4) The Culture of Science. Our group was funded to tackle two of these domains by using
our YouTube show, Healthcare Triage, to explain how we could improve both experimental design and the
analysis and reporting of research. Our video learning modules were targeted to graduate students,
postdoctoral fellows, and beginning investigators and our goal was to provide these learners with a new
educational option for gaining the knowledge they need regarding factors affecting reproducibility in
experimental design, data analysis, and reporting in a user-friendly, easily accessible format. The modules
were launched in May 2017, and they have been viewed more than 36,000 times with 80% of viewers watching
the videos through to completion. The two domains we tackled previously are only part of the problem though.
The culture of science, the fourth of the domains included in the NIH’s R25 RFA, is likely the most difficult of
the domains to address. Selective reporting of results, the perceived or real pressure to publish in high impact
journals, insufficient oversight/mentoring, lack of transparency and insufficient peer review, are all aspects of
today’s scientific culture that may be contributing to irreproducible research. Additionally, all of these factors
are exacerbated by the different incentive systems put into place by universities, granting agencies, and
publishers. Because the problems and the solutions are not quite as clear for this domain, a different approach
is needed to tackle the topic. Therefore, we propose to create a podcast series, where we will explore varying
opinions on the underlying issues of reproducibility and the culture of science. We will also explore what
solutions should be considered to fix the issues identified. These podcasts will not be lectures, nor will they be
didactic in nature. Instead, they will be interviews and discussions with thought leaders from around the world
regarding the culture of science. The nature of podcasts, along with our team’s experience in the format, will
allow us to make the discussions entertaining and informative. The podcasts will be accompanied by lesson
guides that will help educators to craft curriculum around the podcast series. We do not anticipate that the
podcasts will constitute a class. Instead these podcasts would be readily available content modules that could
be easily added to any curricula at any institution on research...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9937762
- **Project number:** 5R25GM132785-02
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** AARON E. CARROLL
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $54,361
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9937762

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9937762, Podcasts to Address the Impact of the Culture of Science on Reproducibility of Research (5R25GM132785-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9937762. Licensed CC0.

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