Tempest in a teacup: An analysis of p-Hacking in organizational research

Alisha Gupta and Frank Bosco

PLOS ONE, 2023, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-26

Abstract: We extend questionable research practices (QRPs) research by conducting a robust, large-scale analysis of p-hacking in organizational research. We leverage a manually curated database of more than 1,000,000 correlation coefficients and sample sizes, with which we calculate exact p-values. We test for the prevalence and magnitude of p-hacking across the complete database as well as various subsets of the database according to common bivariate relation types in the organizational literature (e.g., attitudes-behaviors). Results from two analytical approaches (i.e., z-curve, critical bin comparisons) were consistent in both direction and significance in nine of 18 datasets. Critical bin comparisons indicated p-hacking in 12 of 18 subsets, three of which reached statistical significance. Z-curve analyses indicated p-hacking in 11 of 18 subsets, two of which reached statistical significance. Generally, results indicated that p-hacking is detectable but small in magnitude. We also tested for three predictors of p-hacking: Publication year, journal prestige, and authorship team size. Across two analytic approaches, we observed a relatively consistent positive relation between p-hacking and journal prestige, and no relationship between p-hacking and authorship team size. Results were mixed regarding the temporal trends (i.e., evidence for p-hacking over time). In sum, the present study of p-hacking in organizational research indicates that the prevalence of p-hacking is smaller and less concerning than earlier research has suggested.

Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0281938

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281938

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