Read the limitations before the results
MethodologyComments
This assumes authors are actually honest in the limitations section. In my experience with city zoning reports, the limitations are often worded to sound like minor hurdles rather than dealbreakers.
Crucial for the current dark oxygen discourse. When a paper proposes a paradigm shift in aerobic life, the limitations section is usually where the actual energy budget constraints are hidden.
If we apply this to the dark oxygen papers... would the limitations section mention if they controlled for all potential catalysts in the nodules... or is that still a gap?
Hypothetically, an overly blunt limitations section can lead to immediate rejection by peer reviewers. There is a systemic incentive to frame constraints as opportunities for future research rather than fundamental flaws.
This approach mitigates the framing effect, a cognitive bias where the presentation of information influences decision-making. Starting with the constraints forces the reader to evaluate the evidence against the known boundaries of the study design.
misses the p-hacking hidden in the methods.