Measuring Subjective Language in Scientific Research

Published October 24, 2024

An investigation into 180,000 peer-reviewed articles reveals that environmental papers consistently use more subjective language than other scientific fields. Rather than rely on measurable data, papers increasingly use personal feelings, unclear metrics, and policy prescriptions. This growing trend raises fundamental questions about scientific objectivity and how researchers communicate environmental issues, potentially influencing public perception and policy decisions.

Dominic (Nick) Parker is the Ilene and Morton Harris Senior Fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution and the Anderson-Bascom Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he has won several awards for research and teaching. He is a senior fellow at the Property Environment Research Center and a regular lecturer for the Ronald Coase Institute and the Elinor Ostrom Workshop.

Check out more from Dominic Parker:

• Watch episodes from the series Renewing Indigenous Economies from Dominic Parker and Terry Anderson here.
• Watch "Nonuse Rights: An Innovative Way to Conserve Natural Resources" featuring Dominic Parker here.
• Read the Q&A with Dominic Parker on the untapped potential renewable energy on tribal lands here.

The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2024 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.