Scientific research is used in the development of medical treatments, helps to change and shape government policies, and understandably have a large impact on society in general. Scientific research may also be featured in the media, with findings that appear in news reports that are televised, in magazines, and in the newspapers.
It is important that this research be interpreted correctly with it being so prevalent in modern day society. There are some media reports that might make outlandish claims that are based on scientific research and the citizens who are informed should be able to discern between research that is really relevant to the real world and research that has been poorly conducted.
Some research uses something known as pseudoscience, which tends to over generalize and ignore past research from the results from a small study or from a single case.
According to one research assistant who is a graduate from a prestigious university, many pseudoscientific studies can’t be trusted since they display external validity that is low, which means that their results aren’t applicable to the population in general.
The fact is that frequently the results of studies that were poorly conducted studies are mere coincidence and happen by chance.
This graduate research assistant explains that real science is based on scientific research that uses logic and multiple participants. Research that is properly conducted also tends to take multiple research studies into consideration and will also build on past research.
When evaluating scientific research, people need to first determine that the research that they are reading about is legitimate.
Once they have determined that the research study is legitimate, people shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. It has been determined that the most common mistake that people make when they are interpreting research is to assume that causation correlations are the same thing.
This means that many people mistakenly assume that since the two variables happen together, the first variable must be the cause of the other.
This, of course, isn't true and causation can only be inferred when randomization is ethical. Manipulation by experiment should be present if people are to assume causation, since it helps with the elimination of variables that are confounding, which might be possible explanations in the alternative for the relationship that exists between the two variables.
The fact is that people should use their best judgment when they analyze the results of scientific research. People always need to make sure that the claims that researchers make are logical, not form an opinion that is based on the results of a small study or from one study, and above all, remain skeptical.
If a study that is published in the media seems questionable, people should locate the corresponding scientific articles and delve more deeply into the realities of the specific research study that it explains.