When I’ve made comments about low statistical power in scientific seminars, I’ve often heard replies along the lines of ‘my students need to publish papers to be competitive on the job market, and they can’t afford to do large-scale studies. They need to make do with what they have.’ This is a prime example of well-intentioned individual scientists being systematically encouraged – some would argue, forced – to accept compromises that ultimately render their work unscientific.
