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Archive » September 2026 » When Rigor Is Not Enough: Relevance, Judgment, and Responsibility in Research

When Rigor Is Not Enough: Relevance, Judgment, and Responsibility in Research

Giuliana Birindelli
September 2026 - n. 9
Keywords: Studi bancari e finanziari, qualità della ricerca, metodologia della ricerca
Jel codes: G21, G28, A10, B40

This article examines research in Financial Intermediation amidst a profound transformation of its core subject, which has redefined the discipline’s boundaries, as well as the questions, methods, and criteria guiding research conception and evaluation. In this evolving context, several tensions emerge: between specialization and systemic perspective, rigor and relevance, incremental knowledge and new interpretative frameworks, impact factor and real-world impact, formal correctness and writing as a mode of thought. The danger is that research may fall short of its goals – not due to a lack of rigor, but because rigor alone is insufficient. This highlights the need to reconsider incentives and evaluation criteria, expand our understanding of scientific quality, and restore nuanced judgment through careful reading of scholarly work to evaluate its significance, methods, and genuine contributions.

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