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metascience

metascience

9.9
Study of how scientists work and how to make research more reliable
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛtəˈsaɪəns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : metaciencia
  • By focusing on metascience, scientists aim to improve the reproducibility of experimental results.

Examples

  • Researchers conducting metascience analyze the methods used in various scientific disciplines.

  • The study of metascience reveals how scientific research can be conducted more effectively.

  • Several new journals mark this trend: Configurations, Perspectives on Science, and Metascience.

    Academic text (1995)

How Analytical

metascience
  • Specialized
9.9
science
1.3
research
3.4
opinion
1.0

Surface Forms

metascience singular
metasciences plural

Morphology

metascience = science (semi-transparent) = meta + science

The word clearly means 'science about science', but the prefix meta- is specialized and not fully transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Metascience comes from the prefix meta-, meaning 'about' or 'beyond', and science. Think of metadata, 'data about data', so metascience is 'science about science', the study of how research is done and how reliable the results are.