Before outlining his theory of change for academic science, Marcus discussed the problems in science today creating the need for change. These include an academic culture that is rooted in the 19th century, leading to distorted scientific processes due to misaligned incentives, pressure to publish, and pressure to win grants. These problems are exacerbated by cognitive biases that scientists bring to their work, leading to overinterpretation of data and drawing conclusions that may not be fully supported – without malicious intent. Munafo emphasizes the importance of adhering to good practices in scientific research in order to ensure scientific rigor, and notes that by focusing on evaluating papers as the end product of the scientific process without sufficient focus on quality control throughout the entire process can lead to less reliable outputs, slow the rate of generating knowledge, and create blind alleys in research.
