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The methods used to produce a piece of research are an important indicator of its reliability.
You might assume that all research reports which have been accepted for publication are
reliable, but this is not foolproof. There have been some famous cases of fraudulent
research which have successfully fooled the research establishment:
A widely reported example is that of leading South Korean stem cell research scientist,
Dr Hwang Woo-suk, who has recently been found to have "faked all his research on cloned
human stem cells". (2006. Cloner's Disgrace. New Scientist. Jan 10. p.4 ) To detect these major, as well as minor, flaws in research reports it is important
to critically appraise the methodology used and the way in which the research was carried out.
The following activities will introduce you to some of the factors to consider when evaluating
research methodologies in scientific and social sciences research.
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