In this React19 How To Guide we offer a Research Primer: How to read and understand research.
Welcome to the React19 research section of our website. Here you will find a compendium of research related to COVID-19 vaccines and related adverse events.
React 19 is a science-based, research-driven non-profit. One of our aims is to stimulate and follow the research on vaccine related adverse effects. Integral to this goal is to track and post all research literature related to COVID-19 vaccines as well as their adverse effects. In this section you will find numerous research articles or links to research. Listing research here does not necessarily imply that React19 endorses any of the articles and/or conclusions offered in the research. We provide this as a service in the interest of following the research and science relevant to our mission to helping the vaccine injured.
Research Primer: How to read and understand research.
We also want website visitors to be able to have a basis in reading and understanding research. Unseasoned readers of research can be easily swayed by a single study or article. This can sometimes mislead the reader and in some cases may propel them down misguided paths. In this introduction, we want to offer a simple primer on how to approach research studies, so that you may read with a more discerning eye.
“Critically” reading a research paper is a vitally important skill. The primary goal when you read a research paper, is to understand the scientific contribution/s the author/s are making to a particular subject or area of medicine.
Sometimes papers are complex and may require reading it numerous times to capture all the important components. This can be especially true of more complex research based on randomized controlled trials or systematic reviews.
There are many ways to tackle reading research articles. For most in a hurry this may be simply skipping to the end to look for the “ultimate” conclusions. While certainly an expeditious approach, the reader will miss out on the entire process which led to that conclusion. Understanding the process is vital as it can help determine the “weight” or “validity” of the conclusion drawn. Let’s take a simplistic example. A study was conducted recently, and the conclusion was drawn that those eating a single apple a day were less likely to see doctor when followed over a period of 1 year. Now based solely on reading the conclusion, some may simply accept this as fact and rush out to eat an apple a day.
Doing a deeper dive into the article, we find that the population studied was only 100 people and the system to track whether indeed they ate an apple every day was based solely on self-report. Knowing this information helps us to judge the “power” of the study.
There are many different approaches to reading a paper, but in general, following 3 easy steps may assist you getting more out of your reading.
Below, find a collection of over 1000 peer reviewed publications directly related to the Covid vaccines…
Primer on how to critically read research papers seems to be missing. 3 easy steps mentioned but not listed or explained. Unless they are buried and I missed them? in which case I apologise but perhaps bullet or creating easy headings would help?
People are busy, don’t make folk work hard to get the valid points! This is important! We want people to look critically at methodologies and know how to appraise.
I’m happy to help if you want it.
I agree. And I found those 3 steps in the beginning of the pdf file.