How to Really ‘Do Your Own Research’
Because I’m a firm believer in health and wellness empowerment, and that empowerment usually comes via research, I wanted to list a few ways you can start “doing your own research” without falling into the same traps so many people on Facebook seem to be doing day in and day out.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and all the wackiness that came with it, the phrase “doing my own research,” now has a weird, pseudo-scientific tinge to it — but it’s very possible for every single person to do real, honest research, and to post a real, scientifically-backed article for a mic drop in the comments section —
We just need to keep a few things in mind.
Is That Article Real or Fake News? Some Questions to Get to the Truth
Okay, so you’re interested in a somewhat controversial or unusual topic, like COVID-19 vaccines. You’re googling and you come across an article that has a super catchy headline, such as “Covid Vaccines Increase Likelihood of Blood Clots in Young Men.” You start reading. Holy shit! You think. This is crazy and scary — why aren’t people talking about this? There’s a doctor quoted in the article! And he’s citing studies! Holy shit! I have to warn the world!
But before you sound the alarm on social media, take a second, more critical look at that article, and ask yourself these questions:
Where does this article live? Is it on a site known for being biased? If so, this doesn’t necessarily make it untrue, it just might mean it’s been “cherry-picked” from a bunch of other research to suit the needs of this particular site
Is the expert quoted in the article specialized in the topic she is speaking about? (i.e is a pediatrician talking about vaccines and blood clots in adults? If so, she might not actually be the correct expert. This article should have interviewed a virologist, who specializes in infectious diseases.
Is the expert still practicing? Does she have a LinkedIn or viable Google trail to prove her title as “expert”?
Does this expert have any lawsuits, or weird news stories circulating about her? (search Google News for this)
Once you’ve done some research on your website and expert, you’ll want to start examining the studies cited in the article:
Does the article provide footnotes that make it easy to find the actual studies?
How old are the studies cited? As a science journalist, best practice for me is to avoid most studies over 10 years old
How many participants did the study use? Anything under 100 people is considered very small and not necessarily viable
Were all the participants somewhat ‘healthy’, or did they have pre-existing conditions?
Does the Conclusion of the actual study say that vaccines definitely cause blood clots in young men? Or is the language more cautious?
Is the study published in a peer-reviewed journal? (<—the gold standard for most studies)
And finally, when you google the subject “vaccines + blood clots in young men,” do a bunch of other studies come up that come to different conclusions? If so, it could mean that the intense language used in the headline and the article itself is a little disingenuous.
As most scientists will tell you, many scientific “conclusions” are not set in stone. That’s just not how research works. So if you’re reading something that claims to be the one and only bible of truth on a certain subject, there’s a good chance the website you’re on is more concerned with clicks and comments than the actual truth
While understanding how to read and interpret data and studies is a whole other topic, attempting to answer at least a few of the questions above before posting your article means that you are truly “doing research” on a topic, instead of just parroting someone else’s battle cry.
Stay informed,
Stay flexible,
Stay curious,
~ Jess