The Guardian view on social science research: embracing uncertainty | Editorial
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 5:43 PM · By Editorial

Science rarely produces identical outcomes. Mistaking this for failure turns caution into an excuse for inaction A new set of studies out this month suggests that as many as half of all results published in reputable journals in the social sciences can’t be replicated by independent analysis. This is part of a long-running problem across many research fields – most visibly in the social sciences and psychology, though concerns have also been raised in areas of biomedical research. The latest wo…