The reasons why ONS is so appealing to me can be broken into two parts. The first is about the problems which it solves, the second is about the benefits it might bring.
The Problems
- Identifying errors (either from miscalculations or from methodological mistakes)
- Uncovering fraud
The Benefits
- Sharing interests and skills
- Quickly finding out about new discoveries and failures
These benefits come from the enhanced potential for theoretical discussions and sharing ideas. This is especially valuable around difficult theories, unknown issues or esoteric theories that are known only to a specialist in a field.
