I also am in biotech, and I agree these problems exist.
One way of making use of the “firehose of information” in biotech would be to insist that researchers publish their raw datasets, and provide additional supplementary information along with their paper. Imagine, for example, if researchers doing animal work were required to film themselves doing it and post the videos online for others to review. I think it’s easy to see how that would be a helpful “firehose of information” and would do a lot to flesh out the picture given by the normally reported figures in a publication.
I think you’re worried about people switching from hard analysis to squishier qualitative data, perhaps because resources are already so constrained that it feels like “one or the other.” I think John’s saying “why not both?”
I also am in biotech, and I agree these problems exist.
One way of making use of the “firehose of information” in biotech would be to insist that researchers publish their raw datasets, and provide additional supplementary information along with their paper. Imagine, for example, if researchers doing animal work were required to film themselves doing it and post the videos online for others to review. I think it’s easy to see how that would be a helpful “firehose of information” and would do a lot to flesh out the picture given by the normally reported figures in a publication.
I think you’re worried about people switching from hard analysis to squishier qualitative data, perhaps because resources are already so constrained that it feels like “one or the other.” I think John’s saying “why not both?”