A Teachable Moment   

THE RECENT FLAP OVER coverage of the NICHD Early Child Care Study introduces, in the child development lexicon, a "teachable moment": a chance to review strategies for improving science and health stories. Science journalism instructors Ellen Ruppel Shell of Boston University and Carol L. Rogers of the University of Maryland offer these pointers.
Evaluate the evidence. If a report comes out, ask for the complete study, and if it's not available, ask why, says Rogers, editor of the journal Science Communication. Look at the methodology. "Was this a rigorously controlled study? Was it an experiment? What kind of sample population were you using? Have you controlled for potentially confounding variables? Who agrees with you? Who disagrees with you?" Reporters have an obligation to look at the data, not just the interpretation.
Ask about peer review. Research must be scrutinized by outside scientists to be accepted for publication in a scholarly publication. "Peer review is no guarantee that the findings are accurate or can be repeated," Rogers admits, "but it does give you some measure of assurance that other experts have looked at the data."
Consider the source. Treat press releases as news tips, not gospel. Find out the ideology of the scientist. Be alert to agendas--including those of advocacy groups.
Identify the funder or funders. What is the funder's interest in the outcome? Rogers notes this "doesn't mean that if a study was funded by a private concern that the results might not be valid."
Seek alternate perspectives. If a project has multiple researchers, talk to at least several of them, Shell says. Rogers, like Shell, encourages interviewing "experts in that area who were not involved in that study."
Give context. New research builds on, and sometimes conflicts with, previous findings, Rogers points out. Let your audience know where the study fits in the whole body of knowledge on the topic.