John Oliver on Scientific Studies

[nonsequitur]

...hilarious and relevant.

 

[Ingrid in grids]

So much yes. Thanks for posting this.

Valid scientific studies make very modest claims and clearly state limitations. The significance of the findings gets lost in translation through a chain of reporting. This is why scientific literacy in the population is so important.

One of the problems is that scientific papers are so inaccessible to the general population—both literally and intellectually. Literally because many papers published in journals are not readily accessible online unless you have a subscription to an academic library service, and intellectually because the scientific communication and comprehension skills needed to break down a paper and summarise it, particularly on a topic you are not familiar with, is not taught at a high school level. Many reporters do not even have these skills.

One of the best and most useful subjects I took in my undergrad degree was a scientific communication subject, which was a mandatory subject for all students completing science degrees at my university. I really think these skills are so important that a subject like this should be taught at high school, and not reserved for those intending on specialising in science fields later on.

 

[nonsequitur]

So much yes. Thanks for posting this.

Valid scientific studies make very modest claims and clearly state limitations. The significance of the findings gets lost in translation through a chain of reporting. This is why scientific literacy in the population is so important.

One of the problems is that scientific papers are so inaccessible to the general population—both literally and intellectually. Literally because many papers published in journals are not readily accessible online unless you have a subscription to an academic library service, and intellectually because the scientific communication and comprehension skills needed to break down a paper and summarise it, particularly on a topic you are not familiar with, is not taught at a high school level. Many reporters do not even have these skills.

One of the best and most useful subjects I took in my undergrad degree was a scientific communication subject, which was a mandatory subject for all students completing science degrees at my university. I really think these skills are so important that a subject like this should be taught at high school, and not reserved for those intending on specialising in science fields later on.

It's been making a splash in our nerdy academia twittersphere, and so far everyone is in agreement.. but we do typically snark at sloppy science journalism anyway because they're an easy target.

There's also been a bit of discussion about the replication problem (significant in the social and biosciences), open-access and open-data, where there is less agreement between different individuals at different stages of their careers, in different fields.

With regards to scientific literacy, I think it's pretty hard for most people who aren't experienced scientists to break down a technical paper. Even for papers out of my specialty, it takes time to acquire the vocabulary and an understanding of the techniques used. Another useful link that has been making the rounds in academic social circles: Impact of Social Sciences – How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientists

I'm not sure how much it would help a lay person with technical scientific literacy, but I think it will be a handy guide for my under/postgraduate students who tend to read superficially, not critically.

 

[uumlau]

I am loving the slam at TED talks.

When they were brand new, and there was a lot of low-hanging fruit, they were worthwhile. These days, I have to approach them with the same skepticism as I do the rest of the internet. There are still some gems, but those gems are becoming vanishingly rare.

 

[ceecee]

I am loving the slam at TED talks.

When they were brand new, and there was a lot of low-hanging fruit, they were worthwhile. These days, I have to approach them with the same skepticism as I do the rest of the internet. There are still some gems, but those gems are becoming vanishingly rare.

Yes. It's nice not to be the only one that wonders what the hell people are getting a boner over when a lot of TED talks are crap. I never miss this show and I sincerely appreciate how it takes complex, sometimes dry, boring subjects and make them understandable.