Frame the question
How can a reader trace a claim and decide what additional evidence it needs?
Look through several lenses
- Primary source and provenance
- Methods and sample
- Independent replication or convergence
- Conflicts and uncertainty
- Communication incentives
Worked learning case
Illustrative case: a headline reports that a new method “works.” Trace the headline to the original report, inspect who was studied, what comparison was used, which outcomes were measured and what the authors say remains uncertain.
Trade-offs to compare
Consider feasibility, distribution of benefits and burdens, reversibility, time horizon, missing evidence and who should review the result.
Limits
The guide does not provide a review of a specific treatment or intervention.