The year 2022 has drawn to a close, and it is time to vote on the ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION’. As a prize, I am offering the winner (that is the lead author of the winning paper) one of my books that best fits his/her subject. I am sure this will overjoy him or her. Here are to 10 candidates that we discussed in 2022:
- WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION, entry No 10: “Conventional Homeopathic Medicine and Its Relevance to Modern Medicine”
- WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION, entry No 9: How to improve traditional Chinese medicine learning internationally
- The ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION’ entry No 8: Acupuncture for the Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction
- The ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION’ entry No 7: Effects of a Persian herbal medicine for COVID-19
- The ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION’ entry No 6: “The efficacy and safety of dry cupping in cervical spondylosis with optimization of cup application time – A randomized clinical trial”
- ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION’ Entry No 5: “Chinese Herbal Medicine … Improves the Survival Rate of Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease”
- ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022 COMPETITION’ Entry No 4: A meta-analysis of the safety of acupuncture
- The ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022’ COMPETITION. Entry No 3: Effects of an Islamic-Based Intervention on Depression and Anxiety
- The ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022’ COMPETITION. Entry No 2: the safety differences between Chinese medicine and Western medicine
- The ‘WORST PAPER OF 2022’ competition. 1st entry: A chiropractor’s view of science
I am pleased to see that the 10 entries cover a wide range of so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs). This has not been achieved by design but by coincidence; it suggests that I do not have a particular grudge against any specific SCAM but was led by the quality of the paper. Similarly, the papers were published in a wide range of different journals, and this implies that I am not out to defame a particular journal (such as ‘Homeopathy’, for instance, that fired me from its ed board). And lastly, the list also shows that I am not abusing this little exercise to defame a particular researcher; in fact, I think I do not know any of the individuals in person.
The 10 entries are clearly numbered. If you want to (re-)read them, please click on the links and the original post should appear. There you find the links to the original articles. Once you have decided which is in your view the worst paper, please cast your vote either by posting a comment here or by sending me an email via the contact option on top of this post.
I will wait for three days and then announce the lucky winner. Subsequently, I will contact the winner and ask for his/her postal address; if he/she gives it to me, I will post a book to him/her with my congratulations.
I hope I can count on you to vote.
Number 10
No. 10
Number 10…Hands Down.
Correction: Number 1…HANDS DOWN!!!
Likewise, 1st entry: A chiropractor’s view of science.
I’d say #1 (‘A chiropractor’s view of science’) is indeed significantly (p<0.05(*)) more awful than the rest.
*: For the methodology used and the validity of my conclusions, I relied on hand-waving, wishful thinking, the application of several fallacies and biases, and of course a generous amount of 'making things up'. Just like the paper of choice, really.
“For the methodology used and the validity of my conclusions, I relied on hand-waving, wishful thinking, the application of several fallacies and biases, and of course a generous amount of ‘making things up’…”
YOU ARE A TRUE SCAM PROFESSIONAL THEN!
Well, I asked myself the same question 20 times, noted that each answer was the same, therefore p<0.05 and my vote is an N=20 scientific consensus, not an N=1 anecdote.
1st entry: A chiropractor’s view of science
I vote for 1st entry: A chiropractor’s view of science.