Commentary: Focus on the Research, Not the Researcher

May 01, 2023 1 min read

Commentary: Focus on the Research, Not the Researcher

by Sally Satel, Persuasion

A foundational principle of truth-seeking is the norm of universalism: the concept that work must be judged on its own merits.

When this principle is applied to academic journals, it means that the studies—the hypotheses being tested, methods used, and interpretations presented—should speak for themselves.  But authors are now distorting that process with so-called “positionality statements.” These disclosures are included in the body of research papers and describe personal attributes of the authors, like their identities, experiences, and societal advantages.


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