Abstract
Besides the 10 common failings that can confront earth scientists, as recently listed in a book by S. A. Schumm (1991, To interpret the earth: Ten ways to be wrong. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge), submitted manuscripts and published papers frequently have problems with the improper use of regressions or of statistics in general and with what is termed in this note fortuitous results due to compensating errors. These are defined as several minor inaccuracies having opposite signs which cancel each other and produce apparently reasonable results. This occurrence seems common not only in complex analytical procedures but also when gross simplifications of manifold data are employed or unwarranted extrapolations are made. Several examples from the soil science literature are discussed. Reasonable results based on dubious premises should not be propagated. A call is made for a more critical evaluation of data based on a better understanding of soil processes.
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