Science is very nuanced. On Instagram @AndreaHardyRD, I talk all about how important it is to recognize the hierarchy of evidence and how to understand the quality differences between different types of studies and evidence.
Hands up if you know what ‘good evidence’ is!????????♀️⠀
⠀
This is the FIRST topic of #SciCommunity‘s Thursday Science Comm posts (calling all science communicators – stay tuned for our topic next week & participate with the hashtag!) ????????????⠀
⠀
I’ll be honest – I found this post REALLY hard to create, because science is SO nuanced. BUT! I’ve created it so you can start asking the right questions about science you come across! ????????⠀
⠀
The ‘Hierarchy of Evidence’ describes the strength of a particular study, and allows us to appropriately weigh how applicable the particular research is in providing health recommendations.⠀
⠀
Studies are often not looked at individually, but rather, many studies be assessed before health recommendations can be made. ⠀
⠀
When people say ‘they’ve done research’, what they often mean is they’ve gathered a series of second-hand information online, including media articles, shockumentaries, blogs, and sometimes even reading abstracts. This is not ‘researching the evidence’.❌⠀
⠀
Research starts with looking for GOOD evidence. It requires looking at (at minimum):⠀
✅ the purpose of the study⠀
✅ study type⠀
✅ study design⠀
✅ the methods⠀
✅ the statistical analysis & findings⠀
✅ the conclusions of the author (do they actually reflect the findings?)⠀
✅ your own conclusions, identification of study weaknesses and strengths⠀
✅ how does this answer a gap in the literature that currently exists? ⠀
✅ what is the applicability within the current body of literature?⠀
✅ does this impact current recommendations – if so, how?⠀
⠀
????I’ve created a few tips on the subsequent slides of what good research looks like in comparison with not so good research, so you can start critically looking at science! ????⠀
⠀
Questions, class?
Recent Comments