Scientific communication

Instructions: Access the Canvas Assignment details to read the assigned consumer-oriented article and the related peer reviewed journal article. Consider also watching the YouTube video posted in the assignment for a 3rd perspective. Respond to the following questions and write your thoughts and ideas (2-5 sentences per question). These ideas will be used to stimulate discussion during your live workshop. Use a graduate level writing style, including full/complete sentences with APA-style citations. This worksheet will be submitted prior to your self-registered live workshop.

1. Who is the targeted audience for each article?

2. What is the main take-home message of each article? How do these messages compare?

3. What do the authors report as “truth” and needs more research?

4. What biases do you see for each article? (Refer to Davies and Logan (2022) Reading Research: Selection bias, Attrition bias, Measurement bias, Performance bias and/or Reporting bias)

5. Is the consumer-oriented article an appropriate representation of the findings of the peer-reviewed article, or is the focus too narrow or broad? Provide examples from each article. For example, was one of the incidental findings of the peer-reviewed article blown out of proportion in the consumer-targeted message?

6. Regarding the peer-reviewed article, is this research important? Why or why not? When choosing a scientific or health study to discuss with patients or clients, consider what’s being contributed to the research field. Does it represent a major advance? Does it change the way people think about a problem? Not all studies are important; if you think this study is not, explain why.

7. Is the message over-generalized, or applied to a greater population than is reasonable? For example, did the authors conduct the study on a small sample, but the news-media article presents the findings as though they were applicable to all?

8. Is the research statistically and/or clinically significant? Take care not to overstate the importance of the study. A finding that is statistically significant may not be clinically significant.

9. What would you share with a client who brought the article to you? How would you respond? Consider Shared Decision Making in your response.