Hype in science

<h2 id="sources-of-hype">Sources of hype</h2>

<p>Hype in science occurs at every level of scientific publication. The objectives at each level are mostly the same, but the methods and audience differ.
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<h3>Scientists</h3>
<p>To gain a competitive advantage against their peers, it has become common practice for scientists to exaggerate their findings, or more commonly, the ramifications of their findings. It is becoming increasingly difficult for scientists to have their work published in journals, which provides the motivation for exaggerating their findings.
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<h3>Journals</h3>
<p>Along with scientists, scientific journals operate in a competitive environment. Journals are more likely to select articles which present more innovative and groundbreaking discoveries, even if those discoveries are often exaggerated to the point of falsification.
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<h3>Mainstream news</h3>
<p>Mainstream news media will often utilize attention-grabbing headlines, including new scientific findings, as a way to gain viewership from the general public. This leads to the sensationalism of science to the public, as well as an eventual distrust in the scientific community as the realization occurs that many scientific discoveries are exaggerated.
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<h2 id="effects">Effects</h2>

<p>Hype in science is problematic for a number of reasons. First off, any false reporting of science can lead to a misinformed public that is free to make decisions based on falsified findings and fake science. Additionally, the public becomes gradually less trusting of scientific publications as more articles are published which are not accurate about their findings and are perceived to pull on the attention of readers without actually delivering on the benefits. This alienates the reader, and thus, the general public, from the scientific community as a whole. 
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<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Study Reveals Amazing Surge in Scientific Hype <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/study-reveals-amazing-surge-in-scientific-hype/" target="_blank">https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/study-reveals-amazing-surge-in-scientific-hype/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Caulfield, Timothy; Sipp, Douglas; Murry, Charles E.; Daley, George Q.; Kimmelman, Jonathan (2016). "Confronting stem cell hype". Science. 352 (6287): 776–777. Bibcode:2016Sci...352..776C. doi:10.1126/science.aaf4620. PMID 27174977. <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf4620" target="_blank">https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf4620</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"Why scientists should communicate hope whilst avoiding hype". Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2019-04-14. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20211008231724/http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20211008231724/http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>Is There a Hype Problem in Science? If So, How Is It Addressed? <a href="http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190497620.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190497620-e-12" target="_blank">http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190497620.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190497620-e-12</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Hyland, Ken; Jiang, Feng (Kevin) (2021). "'Our striking results demonstrate …': Persuasion and the growth of academic hype". Journal of Pragmatics. 182: 189–202. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2021.06.018. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>Avoiding Hype and Enhancing Awareness in Science Communication <a href="https://loop.nigms.nih.gov/2017/09/avoiding-hype-and-enhancing-awareness-in-science-communication/#:~:text=In%20her%20keynote%20address%2C%20veteran%20science%20journalist%20Erika,this%20definition%20to%20Judith%20Greenberg%2C%20our%20deputy%20director." target="_blank">https://loop.nigms.nih.gov/2017/09/avoiding-hype-and-enhancing-awareness-in-science-communication/#:~:text=In%20her%20keynote%20address%2C%20veteran%20science%20journalist%20Erika,this%20definition%20to%20Judith%20Greenberg%2C%20our%20deputy%20director.</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:7"><p>Hopf, Henning; Matlin, Stephen A.; Mehta, Goverdhan; Krief, Alain (2020). "Blocking the Hype-Hypocrisy-Falsification-Fakery Pathway is Needed to Safeguard Science". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 59 (6): 2150–2154. doi:10.1002/anie.201911889. PMID 31589804. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.201911889" target="_blank">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.201911889</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:8"><p>Buranyi, Stephen (27 June 2017). "Is the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science?". The Guardian. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/27/profitable-business-scientific-publishing-bad-for-science" target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/27/profitable-business-scientific-publishing-bad-for-science</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:9"><p>Hyland, Ken; Jiang, Feng (Kevin) (2021). "'Our striking results demonstrate …': Persuasion and the growth of academic hype". Journal of Pragmatics. 182: 189–202. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2021.06.018. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:10"><p>Hyland, Ken; Jiang, Feng (Kevin) (2021). "'Our striking results demonstrate …': Persuasion and the growth of academic hype". Journal of Pragmatics. 182: 189–202. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2021.06.018. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:11"><p>Hyland, Ken; Jiang, Feng (Kevin) (2021). "'Our striking results demonstrate …': Persuasion and the growth of academic hype". Journal of Pragmatics. 182: 189–202. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2021.06.018. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216621002447</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:12"><p>Avoiding Hype and Enhancing Awareness in Science Communication <a href="https://loop.nigms.nih.gov/2017/09/avoiding-hype-and-enhancing-awareness-in-science-communication/#:~:text=In%20her%20keynote%20address%2C%20veteran%20science%20journalist%20Erika,this%20definition%20to%20Judith%20Greenberg%2C%20our%20deputy%20director." target="_blank">https://loop.nigms.nih.gov/2017/09/avoiding-hype-and-enhancing-awareness-in-science-communication/#:~:text=In%20her%20keynote%20address%2C%20veteran%20science%20journalist%20Erika,this%20definition%20to%20Judith%20Greenberg%2C%20our%20deputy%20director.</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
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Hype in science open-in-new

Hype in science