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.

Image of @andreahardyrd Instagram post about what is good evidence

Hands up if you know what ‘good evidence’ is!????????‍♀️⁠⠀
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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!) ????????‍????⁠⠀
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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! ????????⁠⠀
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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.⁠⠀
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Studies are often not looked at individually, but rather, many studies be assessed before health recommendations can be made. ⁠⠀
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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’.❌⁠⠀
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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?⁠⠀
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????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! ????⁠⠀
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Questions, class?⁠⁠