Studying COVID-19

Over the last several months I’ve noticed a heightened antagonism between people who are vaccinated and those that are unvaccinated, and I believe that in many cases the people with the strongest opinions have little to no understanding of the studies that have been done to-date. Understanding the output of research is not a simple endeavor, and people who don’t know how to understand the outputs of research are left to let the media, social media, and peers define what the findings mean.

Over the next few months, I’m planning to look at many of the latest studies, breaking them down into layman’s terms and helping others understand what the studies actually mean. Research has strict guidelines and very common themes (the CDC’s MMWR is one of the primary sources I draw from), which I learned about during my dissertation and studies for the Doctorate of Healthcare Administration Program at Central Michigan University. I’m by no means an expert on research, but I’ll follow the same structure for each review of COVID Research that I do.

There are several things to look for in any research, so answering the following questions will be the backdrop of all of my reviews.

Did the news article or study cite a source that you can navigate to?
Did the source clearly describe how the data was acquired?
Did the source cite potential biases or limitations?
Is the source reputable?
Were there enough participants in the sample – more than 32?
What population does the sample actually represent?
Did the study or news article focus on one finding and not others that seem obvious?
Are all of the variables included that you think are necessary to arrive at the same outcome?
Is the study clearly described to the point that it could be reproduced by someone else given the same data and research background?

Below are the studies that I’ve analyzed so far. Please comment on any studies you’d like me to review next. If you want a solid framework for evaluating information before making decisions, Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work (#ad) by Chip and Dan Heath is worth picking up.