Wikiletters is a system designed to make science even better!
WikiLetters has sections, which may be handed to you not in the order presented below, but all providing specific functions:
Section, called Letters, allows researchers and readers of science to potentially discuss about relevant caveats in scientific articles. Letters are available to authors of an article wishing to notify possible limitations not observed during the peer-review process. However, these authors find value on providing higher level of transparency concerning caveats in their own publications;
Section, called Notes, allows anonymous comments about critical issues in an article (e.g. potential data manipulation, plagiarisms and other relevant matters). Here, you receive the integrated function of “pubpeer.com”;
Section, called Comments, lists the existing “peer-reviewed” articles of comments about other articles, and articles of responses to these comments. This section aims to gather all journal comments and response to comments in the literature;
Section, called Retracted, is a large list of retracted articles, also known as retractions, and withdrawn articles. Here you receive the integrated function of “retractionwatch.org”, which receives a complementary support from WikiRetracted.org;
Section, called Citing-retracted, is a list of all articles that have cited a retracted article (aka retraction). This allows readers of an article to check if a citation towards a retraction comprimises the content of the citing-paper to any level. Citation towards a retraction are likely to be neutral, or a statement, or relating to data and methods being used, and the latter (using data/method) is something readers should be notified;
Section, called Classified-citations, list only relevant citations into the positive and negative categories, so that you do not waste time reading neutral citations;
Section, called Erratum / Corrigendum / Improper-citation, is a list of minor corrections that increases the transparency over a research. About Erratum/Corrigendum, we ask users to properly assign where corrections should be made. Differenty, for Improper-citations, we ask users to identify improper citations towards their own articles and sugest redifications when possible;
Section, called Deceptive Publishers, list publishers that may be seen as predatory, so that the peer-review process and article quality may be more questionable.
Unlike various other web sites informing about single aspects about scientific literature and socialization in science such as researchgate, retractionwatch, pubpeer, and publons,
WikiLetters is designed to provide much more comprehensive information about different potential strength and weakness of scientific articles. WikiLetters allow researchers an easy platform to make Letters and Notes.
The aim is to further develop artificial intelligence algorithms using also machine-learning and sentiment analysis to help with some of these sections.
WikiLetters aims to make science even better, which according to many is in the light of the “Replication Crisis”.
WikiLetters aims to support researchers in writing articles of better quality. WikiLetters provides easy access to relevant classified scientific information, which helps researchers to decided what information is safe to use from one articles into their own
new research. There is an increasing number of articles informing the public that science has various problems within its core, for example, the article titled
“Why Most Published Research Findings are False”.
However, the concepts of artificial intelligence, machine learning,
and sentiment analysis have never been applied into all scientific information.
With Ioannidis (author of the article aforementioned), and various other authors of similar articles, the following factors can be highlighted with regard to flawed science:
demonstrating a problem is easy;
proposing a good solution might be difficult;
implementing a proposed solution is mostly the real challenge.
Therefore, instead of criticizing science, WikiLetters aims to help researchers with relevant information that is often missed on the internet.
Is it important to bring under the same umbrella the various quality aspects of scientific articles?
As the number of scientific journals and published research articles increases,
so does the propensity for error propagation in new publications. This has a negative snowball effect in science.
Occasionally a journal will identify an issue within an article and amend or withdraw it.
Is there anything wrong in science? A plausible explanation was given at: See interview
The total number of errors identified each month is negligible when compared to the total number of scientific articles published in the same period. Because we are overloaded by information
(see information overload)
and science (see science overload).
It is not a surprise considering over 2.5 million articles been published every year (see total scientific articles published per year).
Consequently, it is difficult to accept research results without some level of skepticism. In response to this, WL aims to reduce error perpetuation and increase in science,
and help scientists publish higher quality research by accessing a well-informed system of citation-network.
WikiLetters comprises various interconnected databases of relevant information to encourage better science.
"Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school.
And the person that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool." Plato? George Francis Train?
Help us on supporting #BuildingBetterScience.