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Seven mistakes to avoid when you're reading research.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about how to read scientific research papers.

That covered what to do.

Today, I'm going to tell you what not to do as a consumer of research

studies. The following are bad practices that can cause you to misinterpret research findings,

dismiss valid research, or apply scientific findings incorrectly in your own life.

Number one, reading only the abstract. This is probably the biggest

mistake a reader can make. The abstract is, by definition, a summary of the research study.

The authors highlight the details they consider most important, or those that just so happen to support

their hypotheses. At best, you miss out on potentially interesting and noteworthy details if you

read only the abstract. At worst, you come with a completely distorted impression of the

methods and or the results. Take one paper, for example, the abstract summarizes the findings like this.

Consumption of red and processed meat at an average level of 76 grams per day that meets

the current U.K. government recommendation, less than or equal to 90 grams a day, was associated with an increased risk of

colorectal cancer. Based on this, you might think, one, the researchers measured how much meat

people were consuming. This is only half right. Respondents filled out a food frequency

questionnaire that asked how many times per week they

ate meat. The researchers then multiplied that number by a standard portion size. Thus, the amount of

meat any given person actually consumed might vary considerably from what they're presumed to have

...