I suspect (for reasons of seeing a back down as humiliating), that is more often that a change of mind happens when other researchers produce confounding evidence, (that is how science works), and you then just quietly accept it and move on. Citing papers supporting the alternative hypothesis in a later paper is a quieter way to signal that you have changed your mind. “Comment on comment” papers can be entertaining. Everything from howling outrage to excuses to commendable withdrawals.
“comment on comment” sounds like a delightful part of the internet! Are there any particularly memorable examples that you’d recommend someone new to them start with to get a feel for the genre, regardless of what field they happen to be in?
Ah, that’s fair. I figure sometimes people remember good jokes/memes, but if the retractions aren’t quite there, they wouldn’t be worth noting. Thank you for the link!
I suspect (for reasons of seeing a back down as humiliating), that is more often that a change of mind happens when other researchers produce confounding evidence, (that is how science works), and you then just quietly accept it and move on. Citing papers supporting the alternative hypothesis in a later paper is a quieter way to signal that you have changed your mind. “Comment on comment” papers can be entertaining. Everything from howling outrage to excuses to commendable withdrawals.
“comment on comment” sounds like a delightful part of the internet! Are there any particularly memorable examples that you’d recommend someone new to them start with to get a feel for the genre, regardless of what field they happen to be in?
I would have to do a fair bit of work to find them—for obvious reasons, they dont need to be added to any Endnote collection. A lot are, “yes, you found a error with our methods but when we fix it, it doesnt change the conclusions”—trans “bite your bum”.
https://retractionwatch.com/ can be a place to find the really bad stuff. (oh and I see a full blown public change of mind right now—https://retractionwatch.com/2021/05/06/rejection-overruled-retraction-ensues-when-annoyed-reviewer-does-deep-dive-into-data/ )
Ah, that’s fair. I figure sometimes people remember good jokes/memes, but if the retractions aren’t quite there, they wouldn’t be worth noting. Thank you for the link!
One quickly. http://www.ask-force.org/web/Global-Warming/moerner-comment-on-comment-2008.pdf is comment on comment. Read the Nerem et al comment http://www.aari.ru/docs/pub/070119/ner07.pdf which is fun. Some commentary here: https://skepticalscience.com/news.php?n=691#47808