Published studies are interesting documents: They are a version of a research story, a version that usually fits within the IMRAD (Intro, Method, Results, Discussion) format. One that is the product of countless drafts among the co-authors before it is submitted, then the reviewers weight in, it gets re-shaped, clarified… beloved sections have to be removed to satisfy word counts or to maintain a stronger “red thread”. Rough edges are polished. A published study may even be elegant. 

Published studies do not report all the messy details that got the authors there. The start to finish feels, at times, like a chaotic mess. Analysis can start one way and then move into a new direction, based on new insights from the video recording. Some paths are abandoned (sometimes unhappily), sacrificing breadth and depth for parsimony. Sometimes we screw up, too. And that never makes it into the paper! All of this messiness is often a sign that things are going well.

For those starting out, the juxtaposition of the polished, elegant studies they read and the everyday reality of doing research can be toxic, especially if they don’t have a supervisor who is continuously saying “No, no! It’s supposed to be like this!!” Sadly, the upshot can be an experience of shame. 

I advocate for more dissemination of “behind the scenes”, both as reassurance to those starting out and as a way to have some gentle fun revealing what a research process was actually like. 

Lest you think that a published study is dishonest, let me share an analogy. When you watch a movie, you are seeing the final cut. It’s the product of months (sometimes years) of working with raw footage: editing, creating transitions, refining. Feedback from test screenings generates more changes (just like responding to reviews). Lots of raw footage ends up on the cutting room floor, as deleted scenes and outtakes. Sometimes entire characters are dropped from the final version of a movie. The final cut isn’t dishonest just because it does not include all the footage. 

So in this behind-the-scenes section of the website, you’ll find insider accounts from published studies. There may even be a few blooper reels!