Media reporting on research presented at scientific meetings: more caution needed
The Medical Journal of AustraliaPublished 1 June 2006
Steven Woloshin, Lisa M. Schwartz
Citations66
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.51
SNIP1.48
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TL;DR
Media stories on research presented at scientific meetings are examined to see if they reported basic study facts and cautions, and whether they were clear about the preliminary stage of the research.
Abstract
News stories about scientific meeting research presentations often omit basic study facts and cautions. Consequently, the public may be misled about the validity and relevance of the science presented.
Keywords
Social SciencesDecision Sciences
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