1295: New Study - Revision history

Firestar233: Undo revision 364510 by 172.70.175.225 (talk): that's not entirely relevant on the explanation page

2025-02-05T04:20:58Z

Undo revision 364510 by 172.70.175.225 (talk): that's not entirely relevant on the explanation page

2025-02-04T23:46:07Z

2024-02-07T05:31:55Z

‎Explanation

2024-02-07T05:31:27Z

‎Explanation

2022-05-21T02:54:16Z

Reverted edits by Explain xkcd server admin (talk) to last revision by Jacky720

2022-05-20T21:53:28Z

2022-05-04T23:31:47Z

2022-05-04T23:31:15Z

2022-05-04T21:04:03Z

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 *Even many low-tier scientific journals don't do proper checking. Over a hundred of them accepted a fake, error-ridden cancer study for publication in a spoof organized by Science magazine, as reported by National Geographic: [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131003-bohannon-science-spoof-open-access-peer-review-cancer/ Fake Cancer Study Spotlights Bogus Science Journals].
 The title text implies there is an actual study being performed to determine what percentage of news organizations repeat "new study" press releases without checking whether they're real, and that the fake study being reported on by the (unknowing) reporter in the comic is part of the experiment being performed to find that true percentage.  When this study concludes, the reporters will not know whether to report on its findings, either because they've already reported on a similar (but fake) story, or because they no longer trust stories of that nature.
 Related jokes:
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 Side note: People making the substitutions in [[1288: Substitutions]], a comic posted two weeks before this one, will read this comic as one about {{w|Tumblr}} posts.
 ==Transcript==

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 *Even many low-tier scientific journals don't do proper checking. Over a hundred of them accepted a fake, error-ridden cancer study for publication in a spoof organized by Science magazine, as reported by National Geographic: [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131003-bohannon-science-spoof-open-access-peer-review-cancer/ Fake Cancer Study Spotlights Bogus Science Journals].
 The title text implies there is an actual study being performed to determine what percentage of news organizations repeat "new study" press releases without checking whether they're real, and that the fake study being reported on by the (unknowing) reporter in the comic is part of the experiment being performed to find that true percentage.  When this study concludes, the reporters will not know whether to report on its findings, either because they've already reported on a similar (but fake) story, or because they no longer trust stories of that nature.
 Related jokes:
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 Side note: People making the substitutions in [[1288: Substitutions]], a comic posted two weeks before this one, will read this comic as one about {{w|Tumblr}} posts.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Related jokes:
-*"87% of statistics are made up on the spot" (which is itself completely fictitious). This joke has most famously been referenced by the [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-05-08/ May 8, 2008 Dilbert comic strip]. It was also (with a more [[Precision vs. Accuracy|precise]] figure of 88.2%) the punchline of a television advertisement for Guinness in 1997, where it was attributed to the comedian Vic Reeves. ([http://youtu.be/5in-3BmKtFI])
+*"87% of statistics are made up on the spot" (which is itself completely fictitious). This joke has most famously been referenced by the [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-05-08/ May 8, 2008 Dilbert comic strip]. It was also (with a more [[2696: Precision vs Accuracy|precise]] figure of 88.2%) the punchline of a television advertisement for Guinness in 1997, where it was attributed to the comedian Vic Reeves. ([http://youtu.be/5in-3BmKtFI])
 *"64 percent of all the world's statistics are made up right there on the spot, 82.4 percent of people believe 'em whether they're accurate statistics or not" - Statistician's Blues, by Todd Snider ([http://www.cowboylyrics.com/tabs/snider-todd/statistician-blues-10809.html lyrics]; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUK6zjtUj00 video]).
 *83% is the made-up statistics number that {{w|How I Met Your Mother}} character {{w|Barney Stinson}} uses to charm ladies.

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Related jokes:
-*"87% of statistics are made up on the spot" (which is itself completely fictitious). This joke has most famously been referenced by the [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-05-08/ May 8, 2008 Dilbert comic strip]. It was also (with a more precise figure of 88.2%) the punchline of a television advertisement for Guinness in 1997, where it was attributed to the comedian Vic Reeves. ([http://youtu.be/5in-3BmKtFI])
+*"87% of statistics are made up on the spot" (which is itself completely fictitious). This joke has most famously been referenced by the [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-05-08/ May 8, 2008 Dilbert comic strip]. It was also (with a more [[Precision vs. Accuracy|precise]] figure of 88.2%) the punchline of a television advertisement for Guinness in 1997, where it was attributed to the comedian Vic Reeves. ([http://youtu.be/5in-3BmKtFI])
 *"64 percent of all the world's statistics are made up right there on the spot, 82.4 percent of people believe 'em whether they're accurate statistics or not" - Statistician's Blues, by Todd Snider ([http://www.cowboylyrics.com/tabs/snider-todd/statistician-blues-10809.html lyrics]; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUK6zjtUj00 video]).
 *83% is the made-up statistics number that {{w|How I Met Your Mother}} character {{w|Barney Stinson}} uses to charm ladies.