A refined analysis of the datasets used in Decoding the elite soccer player's psychological profile
First and foremost, we would like to make the following points clear.
The author of the critique of the dataset reported in our original paper made a valuable
contribution by identifying several issues that had not been recognized during the original
review and publication process. These observations highlighted the need for additional
clarification, further analyses, and more extensive validation to determine which conclusions
of the original study remain well supported, which require more cautious interpretation, and
which would benefit from independent replication.
The author submitted their critique to both Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS) and Institute For Replication (I4R). Before PNAS had reached a decision regarding
the correspondence process, I4R elected to publish the critique. As a result, we were required
to publish only a partial version of our response. Some of the supporting material could not be
disclosed at this stage, either because of ethical considerations or because it was necessary to
first discuss it with PNAS and coordinate the editorial process.
Consequently, what is fundamentally a single scientific discussion requiring careful clarification has become fragmented across two publication venues, with neither venue presenting the complete exchange. This is obviously non-ideal, but we do not have any control on those decisions. The present document therefore attempts to provide a comprehensive response to the issues raised in the critique. It discusses both the strengths and the limitations of the original work in light of the concerns identified, presents the additional analyses we have conducted, and clarifies which conclusions remain supported by the available evidence and which should be interpreted more cautiously. Attached, an additional letter of response to the points raised by the author of the critique letter is provided, alongside a statement by Dr. Alberto Filgueiras, who conducted the data collection for the original work.