My reward offers

[BERNARD L COHEN <blc+@PITT.EDU>]

	There has been substantial discussion about my reward offers,

including substantial misunderstanding about them.

The only reward offer I consider still to be in force is the one quoted

below from a 1997 message on RADSAFE:



"I offer a $2500 award to anyone who submits a suggestion that,

after a detailed evaluation, leads to a not-implausible explanation of our

discrepancy. I can give up to three such awards. If the submitter and I do

not agree on plausibility, I would be happy to accept the public judgment

of any prominent radiation health scientist suggested by the submitter

(let us define prominent as 10 papers in HEALTH PHYSICS or equivalent

journals over the past 10 years). I would hope to publish a paper on this

with the submitter and judge as coauthors"



	My willingness to accept the judgment of "any prominent scientist

suggested by the submitter" was based on my 50 years of experience as a

physicist.  I had always found that all prominent physicists would, after

due consultation with all involved parties, make the same correct decision

on the validity of a straightforward mathematical treatment and the

straightforward conclusions from it.

	However, recent experience has made me realize that there are

scientists who publish good papers in their fields of specialization but

cannot understand such a straightforward mathematical treatment and hence

cannot make a reasoned decision on its validity. I therefore modify the

last part of my above offer to "...I would be happy to accept the judgment

of a prominent scientist (with no prior opinions about my study) mutually

agreed to by the submitter and myself, and willing to publish a paper on

this with the submitter and myself as coauthors, with each of us

explaining our viewpoints".





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