[R] Why software fails in scientific research

[Bert Gunter]

Just one small additional note below ...

Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
 

"But a lot of academics are not going to "waste" their time documenting code

properly, so others can reap the benefits of it. They would rather get on
with 
the next project, to get the next paper. "


-- Indeed. My personal experience over 3 decades in industrial (private)
research is that data analysis is viewed as relatively
unimportant/straightforward/pedestrian and is left to technicians (or
postdocs) -- often with what is done being largely dictated by the
conventions of a particular journal or discipline. The lab heads and
research directors are responsible for the grand research strategies,
managing resources, etc. and don't want to waste much time on something that
routine. So worrying about reproducibility of data analysis "code" (if there
is any, given the use of GUI software like Excel) falls beneath their radar.

Clearly there are disciplines (e.g. ecology?) where this may NOT be the
case.

-- Bert