Red Team Market

We provide a service that provides independent criticism of research in the social sciences.

Early research established the feasibility of paying independent scientists to criticize research. In a pilot - the “Red Team Challenge” - we offered financial incentives to five scientists to find errors in a submission-ready manuscript. Critics found 107 issues, some of which were so substantial that the author delayed submission and ran an additional experiment. Since then, we have developed a database of professional critics and have conducted projects to provide rapid, independent criticism on a wide range of projects. We have also recently begun to provide independent analyses of scientific fraud.

Our service works as follows. Any individual who wishes to receive independent expert feedback or critical evaluation of work in the social sciences can contact us with their aim and budget. We work together to determine an appropriate time frame and to find independent critics who are able to complete the work. Critics sign a confidentiality agreement and a contract specifying terms and expected output. Critics then provide independent evaluations of the research - whether a research plan, manuscript, or published paper. We review critics' comments for professionalism, add our own evaluations (when applicable), and generate a professional final report. When applicable, we also maintain a transparent record of the entire process of criticism.