Sunday, December 23, 2018

"A study says that X %..." Not Enough Information!

There are loads of books, news reports, and Web articles that say something like, "A study shows that X % of people have this characteristic."

While it's cool that authors look into scientific studies to improve the strength and authenticity of their own arguments, using "A study" is vague.
It doesn't tell the reader, who or what made the study? How was the study conducted? Is this study trustworthy and/or empirically true?

Considering how search engines aren't perfect at pointing the user directly to the information they need, it can be a pain to look up the source of the study since unrelated results can pop up.

Important advice for all authors: Even if you're not writing an academic paper, please tell us who or what made any information that comes from another source. For example, isn't "According to Ivann Baloran, teachers should always welcome questions from students" more informative than "According to a blogger, teachers should always welcome questions from students"?

Complicated citations and hyperlinks are optional, but greatly appreciated.

Happy writing <3

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