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Answers you want + skills you need = C4R Units

Our free units are designed to educate and empower researchers across a range of scientific disciplines. Get answers to specific questions and develop the practical skills you need to generate more reliable research.

Check out our first unit, Confirmation Bias, and come back for more soon!

Confirmation Bias

Causation vs Correlation

COMING SOON

Confirmation Bias

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

Prof. Konrad
PhD Researcher, UPENN

COURSE CHAPTERS

The Extent of the Problem

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Motive & Method

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Solbing Rigor Problems

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

The Toolbox

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Power in Numbers

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

This content can be edited from Units CMS

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

COURSE CHAPTERS

start unit

Reserach Questions

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

Prof. Konrad
PhD Researcher, UPENN

COURSE CHAPTERS

The Extent of the Problem

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Motive & Method

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Solbing Rigor Problems

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

The Toolbox

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Power in Numbers

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

The Road to Rigor

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

Prof. Konrad
PhD Researcher, UPENN

COURSE CHAPTERS

1. The Extent of the Problem

2. Motive & Method

3. Solbing Rigor Problems

4. The Toolbox

6. Power in Numbers

The Extent of the Problem

This unit will explore rigor issues as a cause of unreliable research, and guide you in identifying and seeking out solutions to isolated rigor issues that you may encounter in lab, as well as collective rigor issues that require scientists to work together to solve.

3

Activities

20

minutes

Confirmation Bias

COMING SOON

Confirmation Bias

The original error.

Original draft by

Rick Born

Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School

1-hour interactive presentation. 3 scaffolding lessons teach how cognitive bias influences research. Participants learn about how masking can work to address bias and some issues that arise when attempting to mask an experiment. Spice up a lab meeting, teach a class, run a skill-building session for your team.

Start meeting

3-hour interactive presentation. 8 scaffolding lessons teach how confirmation bias affects every step of the research process. Participants learn strategies for addressing bias in hypothesis formation, experimental design, and data analysis. Teach one week of class, or run an intensive workshop.

Start Class

Asynchronous, online reference resource. 8 chapters teach how confirmation bias affects every step of the research process. Readers learn strategies for addressing bias in hypothesis formation, experimental design, and data analysis. Learn solo, assign it as coursework, or use it as a reference.

Start Book

Controls

COMING SOON

Controls

Clarity, not coincidence!

Original draft by

Aparna Shah

Collegiate Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech

1-hour interactive presentation. 3 lessons engagingly introduce the importance of control, challenge learners to grapple with the many meanings of "control" and support planning for fundamental types of negative control groups. Spice up a lab meeting, teach a class, run a skill-building session for your team.

Start meeting

3-hour interactive presentation. 8 lessons include and continue the Meeting version to address the benefits and challenges of additional types of control groups and the unique influence of expectations. Participants then synthesize their knowledge and explore ways to optimize investment in control and embrace transparency in reporting limitations. Teach one week of class, or run an intensive workshop.

Start Class

Asynchronous, online reference resource. 8 chapters with built-in activities expand upon content in the Class version to support learners in exploring, reflecting, and planning experimental controls. Learn solo, assign it as coursework, or use it as a reference.

Start Book

Randomization

COMING SOON

Randomization

Randomize to know it is real.

Original draft by

Lisa Mangiamele

Associate Professor Biological Sciences, Smith College

1-hour interactive presentation. 3 lessons teach why we randomize, common randomization mistakes, and choosing appropriate randomization methods. Participants learn why randomization is essential for causal inference, how to identify flawed randomization procedures, and how to select suitable randomization approaches for their research. Spice up a lab meeting, teach a class, or run a skill-building session for your team.

Start meeting

3-hour interactive presentation. 8 lessons teach about the theory and practice of randomized allocation and randomization in your lab; how to design randomized studies that account for important covariates or environmental variables; implement simple, block, and stratified randomization; and transparently report randomization methods. Teach one week of class, or run an intensive workshop.

Start Class

Asynchronous, online reference resource. 8 chapters teach the theory and practice of randomized allocation and randomization in your lab. Readers learn to recognize common randomization myths and mistakes, implement simple, block, and stratified randomization techniques, and account for important variables in experimental design. Learn solo, assign it as coursework, or use it as a reference.

Start Book

The Mission of C4R

Driving Cultural Change for Reliable and Reproducible Research

Building a Culture of Rigor

C4R is dedicated to changing research culture by providing comprehensive educational materials, promoting best practices, and fostering a community committed to improving research reliability.

Addressing Rigor Issues in Research

Rigor issues can arise at any stage of the research process, leading to unreliable and irreproducible results that undermine scientific progress and public trust.

Join these universities and create a C4R network personalized to your students, staff, and school.

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Smith College

Harvard University

Duquesne University

Johns Hopkins University

Virginia Tech

Ohio State University

University of Washington

Boston University

University of Texas at Dallas

Study on your own,
or learn with your whole lab

Good news: Whether you’re working in a group or moving at your own pace, our units are designed to support most learning styles and settings, including alternative expressions by divergent learners.

The hands-on experience you've been waiting to get your hands on

Our interactive Units teach the necessary skills that fall through the cracks.

Bite-sized content that meets your needs

Learn what you need to know, practice with interactive activities, and save our materials for future reference.

Build your own curriculum for rigor

Our pre-made presentations work for lab meetings, classes, and individual learning.

A community of people dedicated to rigor

We host online and in-person events to provide hands-on support in doing more rigorous work.

Challenge accepted:
inspire more reliable science
through accessible learning.

We’re here to shake up the status quo with curious, collaborative scientists everywhere.

Challenge accepted:
Inspire generational change through applied skill sharing

We’re on a mission to do more than write a bunch  of really good research papers—we’re here to shake up the status quo with curious, collaborative scientists everywhere.