Researchers identify main humor strategies used in published scientific papers

Researchers analyzed 269 humorous scientific articles and identified seven distinct recurring humor strategies, Medical Daily reported. The study was published online on August 22, 2025, under the title, Science is funny as long as it happens to someone else: understanding humour in science publications. [1]

The analysis revealed that 130 of the evaluated papers, or 48.3 percent, derived humor by applying rigorous academic methods to mundane subjects, Medical Daily reported. Examples of these topics included the color of toast crumbs from high-fiber bread, the physical pleasure of scratching an itch, swearing in response to pain, and head-banging injuries among heavy metal music fans. [1]

In addition to applying serious methods to mundane topics, researchers identified six other recurring strategies used to generate humor within published research, according to Medical Daily. The report noted that studying the ordinary world with complete seriousness served as the most common joke strategy in science papers. [1]

Coverage from inkl also highlighted the dataset of 269 funny papers, noting that bottom jokes accounted for approximately one third of the taboo humor identified across the sample. [3]