Meta-science

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Metascience

Metascience, also known as science of science, is the systematic study of science itself. It analyzes the practices, structures, and outcomes of scientific research, including research design, peer review, publication bias, replication, and incentive structures, with the aim of improving the reliability, transparency, and impact of scientific knowledge production. Emerging at the intersection of the philosophy of science, the sociology of science, scientometrics, and research methodology, it draws on empirical and quantitative approaches to evaluate how science is conducted, communicated, and assessed. The field has gained prominence in the context of the replication crisis and broader debates around open science, research integrity, and evidence-based policy. Its scope encompasses all fields of research and has been described as offering "a bird's eye view of science". In the words of John Ioannidis, "Science is the best thing that has happened to human beings ... but we can do it better." In 1966, an early meta-research paper examined the statistical methods of 295 papers published in ten high-profile medical journals. It found that "in almost 73% of the reports read ... conclusions were drawn when the justification for these conclusions was invalid." Meta-research in the following decades found many methodological flaws, inefficiencies, and poor practices in research across numerous scientific fields. Many scientific studies could not be reproduced, particularly in medicine and the social sciences. The term "replication crisis" was coined in the early 2010s as part of a growing awareness of the problem. Measures have been implemented to address the issues revealed by metascience. These measures include the pre-registration of scientific studies and clinical trials, as well as the founding of organizations such as CONSORT and the EQUATOR Network that issue guidelines for methodology and reporting. There are ongoing efforts aimed at addressing misuse of statistics, eliminating perverse incentives within academic institutions, improving the peer review process, systematically collecting data about the scholarly publication system, combating bias in scientific literature, and enhancing the overall quality and efficiency of the scientific process. As such, metascience is a big part of methods underlying the open science movement.

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• Meta-science or Meta-research | FORRT

  List of terms # Meta-science or Meta-research Last updated on Aug 5, 2026 Also available in: Arabic | Chinese | German | Turkish Definition: The scientific study of science itself with the aim to describe, explain, evaluate and/or improve scientific practices. Meta-science typically investigates scientific methods, analyses, the reporting and evaluation of data, the reproducibility and replicability of research results, and research incentives. References: Ioannidis, J. P., Fanelli, D., Dunne, D. D., & Goodman, S. N. (2015). Meta-research: Eevaluation and improvement of research methods and practices. PLoS Biology, 13(10), e1002264. Peterson, D., & Panofsky, A. (2020). Metascience as a scientific social movement. Originally drafted by: Elizabeth Collins

• Metascience in Bioinformation - PMC

  Metascience involves the use of new and stringent scientific methodology to study science itself for raising the overall quality of scientific knowledge, and of ensuring the highest possible effectiveness in its patient-centered clinical applications. Metascience is research on research: the science of science in all fields from astrophysics and psychology to molecular biology; from the social and political sciences to the health sciences. In the context of health care, metascience is often referred to as evidence-based medicine/dentistry/nursing, and seeks primarily to ensure the highest possible effectiveness of evidence-based treatment in a personalized patient-centered model of clinical intervention. This translational model of healthcare stresses active involvement of the patient and [...] In the same vein, science can be defined as the systematic enterprise that uncovers, builds, organizes and disseminates knowledge by means of testable explanations, analyses and predictions about our psycho-physiological nature and the environment that surrounds us. Metascience is, by extension, our scientific inquiry into science itself. Metascience is the systematic enterprise that uncovers, builds, organizes and disseminates formative and summative evaluative knowledge about scientific advances by means of testable explanations, analyses and predictions . Now more than ever, it is imperative that we as a conscientious species establish a universal system that empowers us all with scientific information that is accurate and reliable. [...] PMCID: PMC6986940 PMID: 32025153 ## Abstract Metascience refers to the systematic process that uncovers, builds, evaluates, organizes and disseminates scientific advances. It is the principal tool at the disposal of the society to combat the debilitating effects of “false information” on health related data and its constituents. ## Background

• Metascience - The Emerging Field of Research on the Scientific Process | Metascience.com

  Metascience is the field of research on the scientific process. This includes the history and philosophy of science. What is science? What is science as a process? What practices and principles govern scientific exploration? The field of metascience – in all its interdisciplinary dimensions – is rapidly emerging as a new discipline itself. The recent Metascience 2019 Symposium has served as a formative meeting for metascience, or the “science of science”. The interdisciplinary dimensions that underpin metascience reveal themselves in a wide spectrum of meta-research topics, ranging from very practical concerns to deeply foundational questions. At the practical level, the so-called ‘reproducibility crisis’ has drawn attention to the every-day operations of laboratory science and how these [...] every-day operations of laboratory science and how these can go wrong and can be improved. At the foundational level, long-standing questions in the metaphysics of science remain unresolved such as how scientific truth and scientific objectivity can be possible. Increasingly, multiple approaches from various disciplines contribute to accelerating the emergence of metascience as a fully integrated field of research in the 21st century.

• Metascience - Wikipedia

  [edit] See also: Academic journal § Prestige and ranking Metascience seeks to create a scientific foundation for peer review. Meta-research evaluates peer review systems including pre-publication peer review, post-publication peer review, and open peer review. It also seeks to develop better research funding criteria. [...] Not to be confused with Economics of science, Science studies, Scientology, or with the obsolete synonym 'Meta-science' for the Philosophy of science. | | | Part of a series on | | Evidence-based practices | | Assessment Design Management Research Scheduling --- Dentistry Medical ethics Medicine Nursing Pharmacy Toxicology --- Conservation Education Legislation Library and information practice Policy Policing Prosecution | | v t e | [...] [edit] Further information: Replication crisis Metascience has revealed significant problems in psychological research. The field suffers from high bias, low reproducibility, and widespread misuse of statistics. The replication crisis affects psychology more strongly than any other field; as many as two-thirds of highly publicized findings may be impossible to replicate. Meta-research finds that 80-95% of psychological studies support their initial hypotheses, which strongly implies the existence of publication bias.

• 22: The applications of metascience to research and innovation systems in: Innovations in Innovation Policy

  While a significant segment of the field of metascience concentrates on learning about the processes and conditions that enable us to do science research better, a smaller, growing contingent is focused on understanding the influence of the environment within which research itself takes place and how research funding policies can improve scientific outcomes, encourage excellence, increase competitive advantage, and shape technological trajectories. In taking on these broader questions, these metascientific studies drift into ‘meta-research’ territory. Meta-research is an expansive, inclusive, and quickly evolving field that explores different dimensions of research systems. It is interested in the systems of knowledge production across all fields of research and engages with diverse [...] By extension, metascientific research has the potential to promote collaboration both between commercial organisations and with academic partners. This could be within, but also across, different sectors. By promoting best practices, facilitating knowledge transfer, and promoting open science practices, meta-approaches offer the opportunity to maximise the benefits while managing the associated risks. Metascientific analysis can contribute to developing insights to support the design and delivery of policies, regulations, or governance structures to support and incentivise business innovation. This may include measures such as tax incentives for research and development (R&D), intellectual property (IP) protection frameworks, or supporting the growth of innovation clusters and ecosystems [...] The concept of studying science, or indeed research itself, is not new. ‘Meta’, used as a subject prefix, as with metascience, typically indicates an approach that critically analyses a field but at a higher or systems level. Fields such as metascience, meta-research, and meta-innovation are emerging to provide this system-level vantage. However, they are not the first, nor the only, fields to adopt metascale perspectives and approaches. Various threads of research have evolved over time to specifically study systems of research and knowledge generation and their interactions with our social and economic worlds. Science and Technology Studies (STS), for instance, is now an established discipline that explores the ‘institutions, practices, meanings, and outcomes of science and technology