CONCLUSION

Evaluating research is both important and complex. To decide whether a finding is “good,” it is necessary to consider the quality of the data on which it was based, the design of the study that found it, the finding’s statistical significance and effect size, whether the finding can be replicated, the impact the research had on its participants, the degree to which the participants are representative of the wider population, and the purpose to which the finding will be put.²² That’s a lot to consider! Nonetheless, it is important for citizens to keep close watch on the activities of schools, police departments, doctors, businesses, governments, and, yes, scientists. People usually have good intentions, but nobody can be trusted to be the sole judge of what they are doing.