Jeff Houlahan Ecologist
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   ​Jeff Houlahan, Ecologist

  • Doing Science ~ the search for what's true
I’ve decided to stop submitting manuscripts to scientific journals and start publishing my research here, on my website.  The main reason is because I can.  For the first two decades of my career,  the benefits of publishing in established journals outweighed the costs – that’s no longer true.  Doing the work continues to be the most satisfying and the most fun – the deep thrills.  All the rest - citations, ‘thumbs up’, H-scores - are the cheap thrills.  But I completely understand that this is a luxury that early and mid-career researchers rarely have. 

​So, ​​help yourself, use as you please, and cite or not as suits you.
I've published a new monograph on how to do good science. 
In the past, I would have submitted this to Ecological Monographs or The Annual Review of Ecology and Evolution and Systematics.
​It is linked here and on the Papers page
How To Do Good Science


​​I've published three papers on optimal alpha.
​They are linked here and on the Papers page.
Rescuing null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) using optimal alpha.

Using optimal alpha rather than traditional NHST thresholds reverses conclusions for 14-34% of cancer clinical trials.
​

Optimal α 2.0: A new approach to interpreting p-values in clinical trials


Why I’m going to self-publish my research

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I have spent most of my scientific career studying population and community ecology using meta-analyses and large-scale experiments, primarily in a conservation context.  However, in the past decade I have become increasingly interested in epistemology and the practical implications of knowing how we know what we know.  I am convinced that the ONLY way to demonstrate knowledge and understanding is with predictions to new data.

​My sense is that few ecologists agree with me, so I’m probably wrong.  But I’m damn sure I’m not. There’s the paradox.  I would bet a thousand bucks I’m right, but to anybody I care about...I would recommend they bet against me. 

​Feel free to be in touch if anything piques your interest.

Telephone

(506) 648-5967

Email

[email protected]
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