4 ms·
Dumb question - what does ‘novel’ mean in relation to a vaccine? Is it just ‘new’? I don’t remember seeing the word used like that in other contexts.
by roydivision 5y ago
Dumb question - what does ‘novel’ mean in relation to a vaccine? Is it just ‘new’? I don’t remember seeing the word used like that in other contexts.
- echelon 5y agoBiologists love to use the word "novel". It's littered throughout their literature. As an adjective, it's applied to new approaches, new discoveries, previously uncharacterized behaviors, etc. eg. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=novel+gene https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=novel+gene , https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=novel+approach https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=novel+approach , etc. When you think about it, publication is itself about presenting novel results. That's the goal, for better or worse.
- vngzs 5y agoNot just "new," but also interesting. An approach must be both new and interesting to be novel.
- verelo 5y agoI guess this applies but I keep seeing reference to the "novel coronavirus". It is new and interesting?! But i mean...feels like the point the parent is making is more correct than the virus is novel, biologists just love this word as it doesn't seem necessary here.
- pjlegato 5y agoPerhaps publishing negative or non-novel results ought to be an equally important goal of publication. Only publishing novel results is a primary cause of publication bias: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication_bias
- native_samples 5y agoNot just biologists. It's a common trope in all academic output.
- azinman2 5y agoIt means the approach taken is new.