- Can experiments detect differences that matter?
- Does the study show causation or correlation?
- What is the mechanism?
- How much do experiments reflect reality?
- Could anything else explain the results?
When interpreting scientific literature, all of these questions are extremely significant and necessary to ask when determining the validity and relevance of what you are reading. The importance of asking whether the experiments can detect differences that matter is for determining how relevant the study or experiment is. How will it contribute to the scientific community and to future research? This is essential because if it is not asked and thought about then the article could be a waste of time, money, and effort. When asking if the study shows causation or correlation, it’s meaning to question if the study is valid. Does it actually show results in some manner, whether positive or negative? Incorrect conclusions can be drawn from results if this question is not analyzed correctly. Asking what the mechanism is poses an important factor to consider because this will let you know the details behind the previous question (about causation and correlation). It can also fuel further research if the mechanism is only hypothesized. Asking how much the experiments reflect reality is extremely important because eventually the goal is usually to make it to human trials so if the experiment is about mice and has no way of advancing to humans, there isn’t really much of a point in that sense. In regard to simply discovering how things work and the mechanism in humans is known to be the same, the mice thing doesn’t really matter. However, it’s still an important question to ask in that case because if it isn’t relevant or applicable to anything, it goes back to being a waste of time and money. Finally, wondering if anything else could explain the results is essential because it can lead to future research if other things can explain the results. It also validates the study.
