Not All Evidence is Created Equal
In scientific research, evidence is categorized into different levels based on the strength and quality of the data supporting a conclusion. Understanding these levels is crucial for evaluating the reliability of scientific findings, both when analyzing them for academic papers, as well as when we encounter scientific studies in news and popular media.
The following infographic was created by the News Literacy Project, a non-profit movement dedicated to educating the public on information literacy and critical thinking topics. You can reference the pyramid depicted here when evaluating evidence for overall strength and quality.
You can find more information on how to navigate information, news, and media through the News Literacy Project's website:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.