Publication Bias

Journals chase interesting results, so the published literature in any field is a selected sample skewed toward flashy conclusions. That creates the illusion of a strong consensus where there may be none.

The practical danger is acting on a single headline study. Surprising findings get the press, but many of them fail to hold up when other researchers try to repeat them. Before you change a decision based on one striking study, ask whether it has actually been replicated — or whether you are looking at a lone survivor.