Scientific studies. There’s some excitement, right? There are lots of things we’d rather not do in life and reading scientific works full of dense jargon and loads of numbers ranks right up there with paying taxes and having root canals.
There is hope.
If you will hang with me for just a few minutes here, I will share some of my tips on gleaning useful information from these notoriously difficult writings.
It will also help you sift through the word salads that are political positions these days.
Why Read Science?
An obvious question and one that we need to have under our belts before diving in.
As we see in the headlines and our social media feeds (Oh my!) each day, science figures prominently in our debates, discussions, and outright arguments. Whether the scientific subject is the center of the conversation (think: COVID-19, vaccines) or part of the background of the conversation (abortion, masking mandates), scientific concepts and/or evidence are in play.
With all this scientific information swirling about (and often being abused in the process), it becomes even more important for all for us to develop competence in scientific information. With headlines trying to jerk our heads using science and scientific subject matter in some very non-scientific ways, it is very common that we take to the voting polls to decide based on scientific findings and interpretations. Becoming science smart becomes even more important.
Like a lot of things in life, becoming science competent is easier than you think.
Learning Science
First off, know that you are smart enough to understand science writing. You do not need to be a trained scientist to understand scientific studies. The pros (like grad students and Doctors) need the detailed understanding to do their jobs but you are here to get a handle on the information so you can make sound decisions in your life.
Relax. There won’t be a quiz afterwards.
You do not need to study every word of a scientific journal article – unless you are trying to succeed in medical school. For our purposes, we want to find the essential information contained in the article.
A sound heads up that we probably already know is that there are going to be words you will not understand.
Don’t stress.
Some words you may need to look up (Google can be your friend here) and other words you will learn through their use in the article. Give yourself a little slack and don’t stress on knowing the meaning of every word.
Organizing Information
Science writers conveniently organize their works, so cutting to the chase of an article is pretty easy. Check out these parts:
Abstracts & Conclusions
Found at the beginning and end of an article respectively, these often short paragraphs sum up the gist of the entire article. They are great for scanning the content to develop a big picture perspective.
If you are reading to research a particular topic, these sections will clue you in as to whether the paper is covering the subject you are looking for or not. Like so many things scientific, knowing what something is not, is often as important as knowing what something is.
Methods
This section shows you how they did the experiments and/or literature research that you will read in the article. Unlike popular writing, scientific writing requires that you show how you did the work. There is none of this “just take my word for it because I told you”, that far too many speakers are adopting these days.
Science cannot speak truth into existence. You’ve got back up your ideas with evidence.
Always evidence.
Results
This part of the article shows the numbers. Fair warning: the numbers can be very dense to read but numbers can also be very revealing of the reliability of a given study.
For example, if the summary sections are touting the astounding performance of a new miracle cure but the study only tested 15 of the authors’ closest healthy friends, the conclusions become far less reliable. On the other hand, a study using large numbers of test subjects over a long period of time may be more credible.
Don’t be afraid to be skeptical and not take the writers’ word for it. Poor research is published all the time. Be that outstanding critical thinker that you are and exercise informed judgement whether a paper supports what it is claiming.
Scientific Studies Wisdom
With so much Science being interpreted for us (by the media and politicians) these days, it pays to take a little time, read the source materials, and question the conclusions others are making. You may even find yourself exasperated and arguing with your favorite news sources!
Here are a few ideas that may help:
- Avoid plowing through the heavier technical language in one go. The idea here is to get the gist of what the study presents. You can always circle back around with Google to look up names and phrases that you want a clearer grasp on.
- Think! Look for the practical steps of how they did the experiment and what they think it means. It is okay to disagree but disagree with reasoned arguments. Blanket denial of someone else’s conclusions is still not an argument.
- Be aware of the type of study you are reviewing. Literature reviews, animal studies, and clinical trials all have strengths and weaknesses in the reliability of the information they provide. Testing a drug on mice may not provide sound information on how that drug will work in humans, in the same way that testing a medication on younger healthy people does not tell you how it will work in older immune compromised individuals.
- Watch for ideological agendas sneaking in back doors. Politicized science is worthless. Question authority. (It’s healthy!) Get your scientific information from scientific sources, not your political party.
- Absolutes in Science – really? The hallmark of science is that findings are always subject to revision as new evidence is discovered. (Think: cocaine used to be in cough syrup and cigarette smoking was also considered safe in moderation!) Every idea is just a theory until proven or disproven by evidence.
- Last but certainly not least is to be aware of the selective use of findings. This is when specific ideas are cherry-picked from an article. (Media outlets are especially guilty of this tactic.) Taken out of context, ideas lose their validity. If the media is trumpeting some new finding that sounds like a miracle, or a devastating occurrence, check their sources. It is probably neither.
Scientific Studies for 100, Please Alex
Put these techniques together and you will get the essence of scientific studies. There are no shortcuts.
Be courageous and jump into reading. Science is not any worse than any other magazine article. Really.
Perhaps not the most exciting reading but we do learn to step around some of the terminology. You will get the hang of it.
While my wife still cringes when I argue with drug commercials on TV (“The first possible side effect is death! Why would I ever want to take that medication?!”), I do enjoy making informed decisions when it come to mine and my family’s health.
All of us just need to read and think.
There are in fact two things, science and opinion;
the former begets knowledge,
the latter ignorance.
— Hippocrates
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