Toward Reliable and Reproducible Research in Organic Photocatalysis by Carbon Nitride

Abstract

The rate of scientific publications has grown exponentially over the past few decades, but this has come at the expense of reproducibility. In this context, fields like organic photocatalysis and materials synthesis have also been affected. This Perspective aims at providing general guidelines to increase trustworthiness and favor reproducibility for those interdisciplinary researchers working on organic photocatalytic transformations catalyzed by carbon-nitride-based materials. Thus, the article focuses on the importance of accurately reporting and describing all the stages of experimental work, from the photocatalyst synthesis and characterization to the evaluation of the reaction conditions, control experiments, and─more generally─all the details that may ensure reproducibility. Additionally, we investigate and discuss the risks of falling into inadequate research practices, emphasizing that irreproducibility in science is a major problem that undermines the utility and credibility of scientific research. These aspects are crucial for the scientific community, and we emphasize the need to raise awareness and educate researchers toward best experimental practices.