POLICY
How we handle
what we find.
We check specific calculations in published astrophysics papers and publish our code so anyone can rerun them.
Claims, not people
Every statement we publish points to an equation or a number and to the code that reproduces it. We never comment on anyone’s conduct, and we never publish that we “could not reproduce” a paper.
Authors hear first
Before we publish a note about a paper, we send it to the authors. For a discrepancy that changes a result, they have 14 days to respond before we ask an independent researcher to check it, and they can correct their paper first. Their response is published next to ours.
A finding that changes a published result is confirmed by the authors or by an independent researcher before we publish it.
AI assistance
AI models help us derive and check results. A named person checks every published package and is responsible for it. Each package names the tools used.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we correct it publicly and keep the history. Write to us at rodion@secondderivation.com.