How to research a topic.
Start with a question and an open mind, be prepared to sift through many different results, and discern for yourself what will inform your conclusion. Be aware that “truth” is not a fixed destination but an adaptive learning process, and also be alert that at present, truth is almost a four letter word and you will need to be discerning.
It’s increasingly confusing these days to know what sources to trust etc, what with news articles telling us “don’t you dare do your own research” and propaganda trying to demonize critical thinking and criminalize and shame those asking questions.
Oh dear.
How to sort out what is “reliable information”? For starters, don’t take my or anyone’s word for any of it! Do not outsource your thinking, decision making or belief formation. You and only you are responsible for the choices you make, for yourself and your children, always seek out more information, don’t settle for the “party line”.
Please consider the following ideas, practice some of the various tools and self-reflect on how it feels. I believe the most true barometer of truth is our gut feelings, and unfortunately so many are dissociated from themselves that they cannot tell what is true, as the “fear” or uncertainty is too loud. If this is the case, consider getting up and going outside. Visit with nature, make sure you have eaten, run up some steps, get in your body and set aside all the other voices, ground to your internal wisdom. Then try to see with a healthy critical eye, clarify your question and ask it. How do I know what is true?
While there is a deluge of details as simple to access as the push of a few buttons, the question remains, how do we find reliable sources? Honestly, I have found the best approach is to cast a wide net. I read articles across the “political spectrum” (it’s all theater anyway) and I listen to various doctors and independent media sources. Interestingly what I won’t do is watch the tv or watch the media theater, I have realized I need the buffer of the written page, or if I keep an eye out, there will be snippets and soundbites from the video, but it’s such a coercive tool I find it’s better if I skip it all together. Read the article, the (probably biased) opinion page and search out the original research instead. Gather ideas across a spectrum, then feel into what threads persist among them. Even more interesting is to notice what questions are studiously avoided and I do look harder at what is trying to be hidden. Truth cannot hide forever, it’s important to be alert to your own blind spots. There is so much beneath the surface, sometimes the truth is hidden behind the fact checkers, sometimes what appears to be true at one point is later revealed to be absolutely wrong. Spoiler alert we don’t really know anything for certain. Learning is a work in progress, truth is in the eye of the beholder, and what one truly, fully believes to be true, can change over time, or in an instant.
For starters, I’ll remind you “don’t outsource your thinking” to anyone else. Even if I or they seem very smart, informed, confident or authoritative. Everyone makes mistakes, and those on the highest pedestal will have the farthest to fall. We don’t always know their motives, profit margins or stock interests. Also, while I would like to believe everyone is doing their best and holding to a similar integrity that I try to practice, admitting when I don’t know and looking for more information when I feel uncertain, repeatedly we have seen this isn’t as commonly practiced as I would wish. Remember the media is PAID to sell stories and ideas, and their supervising boards often contain members from other industries with potential conflicts of interest. They profit off your fear. This alone should make you question what they flash across the screens.
Even the familiar search engines we have grown to trust, have unfortunately been censored and are manipulating the search results to show you what they deem “safe” or “correct”, which doesn’t speak too well to what they think of your ability to think for yourself! It feels very patronizing, no? & it’s a bummer.
The type of teacher I’ve always been is to encourage and remind my students “you are smarter than you think” and you learn by pushing the comforts of what you know, and exploring what you don’t yet know.
“The more I learn the less I know” Albert Einstein
It’s a good sign if you are feeling a little uncomfortable, stay curious! And keep going.
True science is about continuously asking questions, testing hypotheses and I’d argue, making mistakes. Learning from those mistakes, which means admitting when we don’t have all the information and seeking out alternative sources. It may mean reading articles from other countries and seeking out research that crosses borders and shakes the narrative.
It doesn’t mean believe everything you read by any means at all, rather, read it, see how it fits, or doesn’t, with what you have already read, and then ask yourself if it’s possible there’s more to learn?
Another challenge here is holding that two things that seem in opposition can simultaneously be true, whether for different people or in different situations, or even more “quantum physics level”, simply true even though they seem in opposition. Through this practice we can keep an open mind, and more importantly these days, an open heart, and be available to evolve. As the information age shows no signs of slowing, but unfortunately in our overwhelmed states, thinking objectively and practicing critical thinking does seem to be a fading skill.
(link to video “How to be a Scientist”)
Research starts with a question or hypothesis. With that question you can embark on a generic web search, but if your browser is already censored you will get limited results. These days when you enter a search of a concerning trend, you may actually be met with pages of links that all reassure or discredit the concern. Again, is this helping you reach a conclusion? Or telling you what to think by curating the information you will then try to collate and draw a conclusion from? Be alert to the manipulation afoot.
You can try another browser, for example DuckDuckGo, though there are questions about the bias of even this browser, which while claiming to keep your search results private, does still have a lean in the results they show you.
You’ll need to be very specific in your search, for example put in the whole title of the article or the key words and authors names.
If I find myself curious about an assertion or headline, I will look in the article itself for a reference, or if it’s a screenshot I’ll search by article title to pull it up in DDG. Then I pull the “hypothesis” and search for myself, next you can try to enter it into PubMed, for example, “Vitamin C + immunity” and this will pull up over 1,000 references on the topic. You can start by scanning the article titles, open some that sound interesting, read the abstract and take a step further, read the conclusion. You can look at who the authors are, where was this published? Be aware that there is tremendous publication bias, the bigger the funding the more likely the desired results are found. AND YET, there is still valuable information to be found and again, trust your ability to think it through.
If you feel more bold you can try more creative questions in your DDG search, or even Google “how much vitamin C do goats make” ??! “What mammals do not make vitamin C?” You can search “Vitamin C toxicity” “Vitamin C water soluble”, get creative. Learning is a journey.
It’s important to recognize science and knowledge are an ever evolving process. It is always important to be able to ask questions, dialogue and consider myriad points of view. It is extremely concerning that thinking and questioning are being discouraged.
How to research; is to ask questions, search outside of your usual venues and understand that the information right now is being heavily censored and edited. Resist the urge to dismiss everything or not trust anyone, instead, cultivate your calm. Gather information. Get grounded within and discern for yourself what your gut says is true. Don’t know? Ask more questions, look more broadly, be open to varying viewpoints and be willing to adapt your hypothesis when new information surfaces. Life is learning and we are here to learn, experience and grow.
