On Instagram @AndreaHardyRD, I talk all about how important it is to not judge a study solely on its funding.
Research funding is a complex topic. I’m addressing it from the angle of: should we outright dismiss it? (Something I see frequently when discussing academic papers in dietetics) #scicommunity⠀
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Things we think of when we think ‘industry funded research’:⠀
❓Where did the $$ come from? ⠀
❔How significant of a financial stake does the funder have?⠀
❓What is the agenda? ⠀
❔Is the organization trying to drive policy? ⠀
❓Is there the potential that they, as a privately funded research body, only published positive trial data? ⠀
❔Did they manipulate the results, graphs, charts, discussion section, to spin the results in a certain light?⠀
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Sure – it absolutely happens, and its an issue we need to be aware and critical of. There is a LONG history of industry funding research to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive outcomes. It’s seriously problematic.⠀
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But – as industry funded research grows, I also see the move towards transparency, especially in highly regulated industries where there is RISK associated with a product.⠀
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JUST because a project is funded by a particular organization doesn’t necessarily mean we should jump to dismiss the science – rather – get REALLY critical about it.⠀
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Some things to consider:⠀
✔️Were all conflict of interests clearly stated?⠀
✔️Was the study designed well?⠀
✔️Was it powered to get statistically significant results?⠀
✔️How was the data analyzed? If were analyzed a different way, would it have possibly provided different outcomes?⠀
✔️Could you have access to the raw data should you want to run the results over again?⠀
✔️Are there mechanisms in place to limit bias (ie a 3rd party research group? A commitment to publish regardless of data outcomes?)⠀
✔️How do we ‘weigh’ this evidence knowing its possible to have bias?⠀
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This is a really complex topic with many issues, I’ve cited an article I found helpful to look at how nuanced this is!⠀
(doi: 10.1080/08989621.2013.788383)
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