Brian Nosek
@briannosek.bsky.social
Co-founder of Project Implicit, Society for Improving Psychological Science, and the Center for Open Science; Professor at the University of Virginia
The universal agreement among commenters throughout was that our collective time to shine is represented by the bottom right cell. Congrats to all of us for making it on to the alignment chart!
Thus concludes reality distraction strategy #822.
Thus concludes reality distraction strategy #822.
November 13, 2025 at 12:57 PM
The universal agreement among commenters throughout was that our collective time to shine is represented by the bottom right cell. Congrats to all of us for making it on to the alignment chart!
Thus concludes reality distraction strategy #822.
Thus concludes reality distraction strategy #822.
Wrapping up the final row all at once: What papers to you are prototype examples of having huge, moderate, or minimal citation impact and also minimal actual impact, in whatever way you define actual impact?
November 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Wrapping up the final row all at once: What papers to you are prototype examples of having huge, moderate, or minimal citation impact and also minimal actual impact, in whatever way you define actual impact?
broad definition of "impact"
That paper did have a huge real impact, but maybe doesn't qualify as "minimal" citation impact? Unless you mean one of the other ones, they have several.
That paper did have a huge real impact, but maybe doesn't qualify as "minimal" citation impact? Unless you mean one of the other ones, they have several.
November 11, 2025 at 6:02 PM
broad definition of "impact"
That paper did have a huge real impact, but maybe doesn't qualify as "minimal" citation impact? Unless you mean one of the other ones, they have several.
That paper did have a huge real impact, but maybe doesn't qualify as "minimal" citation impact? Unless you mean one of the other ones, they have several.
Ericsson & Simon (1980) takes the middle cell psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-...
Now, your nominations for minimal citation impact but moderate actual impact?
A contribution that altered policy or practice...
A paper that extinguished an active area of research...
An uncredited gem...
Now, your nominations for minimal citation impact but moderate actual impact?
A contribution that altered policy or practice...
A paper that extinguished an active area of research...
An uncredited gem...
November 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Ericsson & Simon (1980) takes the middle cell psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-...
Now, your nominations for minimal citation impact but moderate actual impact?
A contribution that altered policy or practice...
A paper that extinguished an active area of research...
An uncredited gem...
Now, your nominations for minimal citation impact but moderate actual impact?
A contribution that altered policy or practice...
A paper that extinguished an active area of research...
An uncredited gem...
Hu & Bentler (1999) with >130k citations selected for huge citation and moderate actual impact--see Nils' rationale that a lot of citation use is unthinking or to stop thinking.
What then is the prototype of prototypes for the moderate citation impact and moderate actual impact?
What then is the prototype of prototypes for the moderate citation impact and moderate actual impact?
November 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Hu & Bentler (1999) with >130k citations selected for huge citation and moderate actual impact--see Nils' rationale that a lot of citation use is unthinking or to stop thinking.
What then is the prototype of prototypes for the moderate citation impact and moderate actual impact?
What then is the prototype of prototypes for the moderate citation impact and moderate actual impact?
For this cell, I am trying to think of those papers that had an a meaningful impact, but are cited mindlessly or "by tradition" as time passes.
Or, a paper that spurred productive inquiry but was more limited than initially understood, like Steele (1997).
Or, a paper that spurred productive inquiry but was more limited than initially understood, like Steele (1997).
November 8, 2025 at 3:25 PM
For this cell, I am trying to think of those papers that had an a meaningful impact, but are cited mindlessly or "by tradition" as time passes.
Or, a paper that spurred productive inquiry but was more limited than initially understood, like Steele (1997).
Or, a paper that spurred productive inquiry but was more limited than initially understood, like Steele (1997).
Youyou Tu's work on anti-malarial compounds that saved millions of lives (w/Nobel+Lasker recognition) wins the low citation/huge impact cell. The original paper has 87 citations as of today: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11721477/ Hopefully she can get to 100.
What for huge citations and moderate impact?
What for huge citations and moderate impact?
November 8, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Youyou Tu's work on anti-malarial compounds that saved millions of lives (w/Nobel+Lasker recognition) wins the low citation/huge impact cell. The original paper has 87 citations as of today: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11721477/ Hopefully she can get to 100.
What for huge citations and moderate impact?
What for huge citations and moderate impact?
An off-the-wall example that I love is Schwartz (2008) "The importance of stupidity in research" It does not break scientific ground, but it is a "most shared" work for addressing imposter syndrome. Beautiful paper.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
November 7, 2025 at 1:21 PM
An off-the-wall example that I love is Schwartz (2008) "The importance of stupidity in research" It does not break scientific ground, but it is a "most shared" work for addressing imposter syndrome. Beautiful paper.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
One of my favorites is the Michelson-Morley experiment (a null result!). Only 173 citations (?!) for effectively ending the search for luminiferous aether and paved the way for relativity.
I can't think of many other field-ending papers, but they can be massively impactful by redirection.
I can't think of many other field-ending papers, but they can be massively impactful by redirection.
November 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
One of my favorites is the Michelson-Morley experiment (a null result!). Only 173 citations (?!) for effectively ending the search for luminiferous aether and paved the way for relativity.
I can't think of many other field-ending papers, but they can be massively impactful by redirection.
I can't think of many other field-ending papers, but they can be massively impactful by redirection.
With 2508 citations in 127 years, Student (1908) introducing the t-test wins for huge actual impact with moderate citation impact: www.jstor.org/stable/23315...
Now, how about huge actual impact and minimal citation impact?
Now, how about huge actual impact and minimal citation impact?
November 7, 2025 at 11:49 AM
With 2508 citations in 127 years, Student (1908) introducing the t-test wins for huge actual impact with moderate citation impact: www.jstor.org/stable/23315...
Now, how about huge actual impact and minimal citation impact?
Now, how about huge actual impact and minimal citation impact?
Would you say "moderately" cited, given its age?
November 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Would you say "moderately" cited, given its age?
Tversky & Kahneman (1974) wins for huge citation and actual impact: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Now, what paper had a moderate citation impact but a huge actual impact?
Now, what paper had a moderate citation impact but a huge actual impact?
November 6, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Tversky & Kahneman (1974) wins for huge citation and actual impact: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Now, what paper had a moderate citation impact but a huge actual impact?
Now, what paper had a moderate citation impact but a huge actual impact?
My nomination: Tversky & Kahneman (1974) www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
November 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
My nomination: Tversky & Kahneman (1974) www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
This is inspired by my new favorite subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/AlignmentC...
Here's an example of what voters' selections...
Here's an example of what voters' selections...
November 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM
This is inspired by my new favorite subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/AlignmentC...
Here's an example of what voters' selections...
Here's an example of what voters' selections...
Citation impact and actual impact are not the same thing. What is the prototypical paper from the social-behavioral sciences that had both a huge citation impact and a huge actual (by your definition) impact?
Vote by naming a paper or liking someone else's nomination. One box filled per day.
Vote by naming a paper or liking someone else's nomination. One box filled per day.
November 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Citation impact and actual impact are not the same thing. What is the prototypical paper from the social-behavioral sciences that had both a huge citation impact and a huge actual (by your definition) impact?
Vote by naming a paper or liking someone else's nomination. One box filled per day.
Vote by naming a paper or liking someone else's nomination. One box filled per day.
October 31, 2025 at 8:04 PM
The paper: scholar.google.com/citations?vi...
October 14, 2025 at 2:51 PM
The paper: scholar.google.com/citations?vi...
Many thanks to the product and engineering teams at COS for their incredible dedication to this project.
Special shout-out to our Ukrainian team members for high performance in a challenging context.
Huge thanks to the user community for feedback about how to make OSF better for your needs.
Special shout-out to our Ukrainian team members for high performance in a challenging context.
Huge thanks to the user community for feedback about how to make OSF better for your needs.
October 11, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Many thanks to the product and engineering teams at COS for their incredible dedication to this project.
Special shout-out to our Ukrainian team members for high performance in a challenging context.
Huge thanks to the user community for feedback about how to make OSF better for your needs.
Special shout-out to our Ukrainian team members for high performance in a challenging context.
Huge thanks to the user community for feedback about how to make OSF better for your needs.
Positive counterprogramming to recent science news
**The OSF is back online with a new interface**
This key milestone makes OSF faster and cleaner. Also, now we can deliver more improvements efficiently and effectively.
Please check it out and send feedback to [email protected]
osf.io
**The OSF is back online with a new interface**
This key milestone makes OSF faster and cleaner. Also, now we can deliver more improvements efficiently and effectively.
Please check it out and send feedback to [email protected]
osf.io
October 11, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Positive counterprogramming to recent science news
**The OSF is back online with a new interface**
This key milestone makes OSF faster and cleaner. Also, now we can deliver more improvements efficiently and effectively.
Please check it out and send feedback to [email protected]
osf.io
**The OSF is back online with a new interface**
This key milestone makes OSF faster and cleaner. Also, now we can deliver more improvements efficiently and effectively.
Please check it out and send feedback to [email protected]
osf.io
Metascientists: Did you know that OSF search improvements make it much easier to study preregistration?
If you search registrations osf.io/search?resou...
and then click on "has related resource" you can, for example, narrow the search to those that shared data, linked a paper, or both.
If you search registrations osf.io/search?resou...
and then click on "has related resource" you can, for example, narrow the search to those that shared data, linked a paper, or both.
October 8, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Metascientists: Did you know that OSF search improvements make it much easier to study preregistration?
If you search registrations osf.io/search?resou...
and then click on "has related resource" you can, for example, narrow the search to those that shared data, linked a paper, or both.
If you search registrations osf.io/search?resou...
and then click on "has related resource" you can, for example, narrow the search to those that shared data, linked a paper, or both.
With this level of productivity, I'll be appointed supreme commander of science for sure. Heck, go ahead and sign me up for 30 articles in 6 months.
Eat my dust suckers!
Eat my dust suckers!
October 2, 2025 at 2:34 PM
With this level of productivity, I'll be appointed supreme commander of science for sure. Heck, go ahead and sign me up for 30 articles in 6 months.
Eat my dust suckers!
Eat my dust suckers!
Two open positions on COS's research team!
Project Coordinator: Undergraduate degree in research, or equivalent experience ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Program Manager: 10 yrs of project management experience or 2+ program management ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Please share w/colleagues
Project Coordinator: Undergraduate degree in research, or equivalent experience ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Program Manager: 10 yrs of project management experience or 2+ program management ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Please share w/colleagues
October 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Two open positions on COS's research team!
Project Coordinator: Undergraduate degree in research, or equivalent experience ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Program Manager: 10 yrs of project management experience or 2+ program management ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Please share w/colleagues
Project Coordinator: Undergraduate degree in research, or equivalent experience ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Program Manager: 10 yrs of project management experience or 2+ program management ats.rippling.com/cos-careers/...
Please share w/colleagues
We have just concluded the all-team retreat for COS. As a fully remote team, this opportunity to connect and strengthen relationships is the most important event of the year. It was an amazing week with an amazing team.
September 25, 2025 at 3:36 PM
We have just concluded the all-team retreat for COS. As a fully remote team, this opportunity to connect and strengthen relationships is the most important event of the year. It was an amazing week with an amazing team.