(Science) – The ERROR project tried enticing reviewers with payments. Now, it’s launching a journal—and promising papers as rewards

A project that offers researchers a cash bounty for finding mistakes in published scientific papers has run into trouble: It can’t find enough reviewers to do the work. Now, organizers of the Estimating the Reliability and Robustness of Research (ERROR) project are planning to throw in an additional incentive, by publishing the reviews in a new peer-reviewed journal.

ERROR, launched in 2024 at the University of Bern (UBern), aims to investigate the scientific rigor of important papers in the social sciences, which have been plagued by questionable results. The organizers recruit independent experts to recheck the studies’ data, statistics, methodology, and code.

Because few scientists voluntarily spend time combing through colleagues’ work, ERROR offers reviewers a base fee of 250 to 1000 Swiss francs (roughly $300 to $1200), and bonuses of up to 2500 francs if they spot errors, depending on their severity. (Read More)