Does the scientific community operate as a purely objective, self-correcting system, or is it susceptible to the same human failings as any other profession? Authors William J. Broad and Nicholas Wade, both experienced science journalists, utilize historical case studies and investigative reporting to challenge the idealized view of science. They argue that the scientific process is frequently compromised by ambition, bias, and the failure of peer review, suggesting that fraud and error are more prevalent than the academic establishment admits.

Experts often cite this work as a foundational text in the sociology of science for its provocative challenge to institutional transparency. Readers frequently note the accessible, journalistic prose style that makes complex issues of scientific integrity understandable to a general audience.