Rather, we would like to review the COVID-19 pandemic through the prism of the 3R’s of research integrity: rigor, reproducibility, and responsibility. Perhaps the most prominent example early in the pandemic related to the use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19. Shortly after the COVID pandemic began to take off in China, rumors of a possible benefit of these agents began to appear in social media. A study of 686 COVID-19 clinical research articles found shorter time to publication and lower methodological quality than for other articles in the same journals. Scientists threw themselves wholeheartedly into COVID research, putting their other interests on hold.

Source: New York Times October 30, 2023 18:08 UTC