Tip number 2: Check if the research has been published in a scientific journal
01 januar 2023
Key points
Research is published in scientific journals, where independent scientists read them to ensure the quality of the research in a process called peer review.
You can often trust peer-reviewed research more than other types of reports.
It is easy to conclude that if a new report comes from a university, the findings are credible and solid. But unfortunately, that is not guaranteed.
The most reliable studies are generally found in scientific journals that publish peer-reviewed research results. These studies’ validity and quality have been assessed and affirmed by independent scientists.
If independent scientists find that a study has been poorly conducted, it will be rejected and not published in the scientific journal.
New knowledge promoted in reports from interest groups, public authorities, research institutes or research press releases from companies do not offer that assurance. Neither do unpublished results from research institutions.
Therefore, the first thing you as a journalist should do when you are presented with new research is to check whether the work has been published in a scientific journal or book.
Download the guide
This article is part of the guide 11 tips for journalists: How to avoid blunders when reporting on science. The guide is accessible in three formats:
Online articles regarding each of the 11 tips.
The full guide of 11 tips as a PDF-file.
The 11 tips as a checklist, a one-pager.
The Danish tabloid newspaper B.T. appears not to have taken that precaution when it published an article with the headline: ‘This is why you should NEVER drink tea in the office’.
‘Scientists have studied tea bags from offices, and the result is frightening: They contain on average 17 times more bacteria than ... toilet seats’, the article claimed, quoting the British newspaper The Independent.
The story’s origin was a press release from the cleaning company Initial, which had paid for the study and did not submit it for peer review.
Look for the peer review
As a rule of thumb, you can be more confident that information is accurate if the research you are reporting on has been peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal.
Peer review and scientific journals are the best indicators of credible knowledge, but they do not eliminate the need for you as a journalist to think critically about the research, potential errors and theories that are later disproven.
Here are some trends you should be aware of:
More and more studies are being published via so-called ‘preprint servers’ before they have been through peer review.
Always read preprint studies with extra reservations — and always point out that it is a preprint study you mention in your article or broadcast.
There are also outright fake journals (so-called predatory journals) that, for a fee, will publish anything remotely resembling scientific work.
You can google your way to resources such as Beall’s List, which lists suspected predatory journals.
Read more tips by clicking the blinking icons at the left in the graphic below.
