Reading the ACTUAL Studies

Wetcoaster

Butchering Scientific Studies

http://debunkingdenialism.com/2012/08/17/butchering-scientific-studies/

kimny72

This thread reminds me of the most recent click-bait study reporting - that carbs cause lung cancer. We had on Headline News and they reported that "A recent study links diets high in high-glycemic carbs to lung cancer", and then threw it to a "nutritionist" who explained which foods are high-glycemic and what you can substitute to avoid increasing your risk of lung cancer. And then I saw it all over FB and had to talk a couple of people down off the ledge.

My parents are 70. They say they don't trust anything that doctors or scientists say anymore because every study says something different, so they obviously have no idea what they're talking about. I have tried to explain the process and the issue with how studies are reported and the response is usually, "Like eggs! First they were going to kill me, now they're a health food. Idiots!". People at work will be talking about the latest "news" and I used to try to argue that what was reported isn't what the study actually said, or bring up that the study only looked at twenty Swedish men in their 30s working on fishing boats so it's not exactly definitive. Now I just walk away.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

girlinahat wrote: »

just as an aside, actually READING studies is harder than you think due to the paywalls put up. And don't get to think that this is to do with the researchers wanting to profit from their studies, not at all - in fact the researchers have to PAY the journals to put their research in them.

So when we think about funding for research, lets add thinking about funding to publish and funding to read.

more info for those who'd like to dig deeper into this, which I was quite shocked by:

the-academic-publishing-scandal-in-two-minutes

Sure, but if Google Scholar doesn't get it, pay walls can often be defeated by EbscoHost, ERIC, etc. A lot of libraries have subscriptions to these and can provide access to those with a library card and Internet access when going through the library site.

jdwils14

For some who don't know, all it takes to get a wealth of resources for studies is to enroll in one class at a university or community college. This gives you entrance to the online college library system and their resources (ebscohost, academic search premier, etc). From there, you can narrow down studies by any criteria, such as peer reviewed, and check only the ones with a full-text pdf for download.

I go to ASU, and I love researching the science journals for free!

I don't know, but you may also be able to buy access to databases. I haven't checked though.

:-)

lithezebra

Equus5374 wrote: »

WHERE do I look to find the actual studies (in full, not just the abstracts)? If anyone can give me some direction, I'd appreciate it.

I start with Google Scholar. There are some open access publishers, like PLoS. If you have any association with a college you can often request articles that are behind a pay wall from the library, and even if they don't subscribe to a journal, they may be able to get it for you through reciprocal agreements with other schools. I've never not gotten an article I requested. I librarians.