What is science and the perils of “doing your own research”

“Follow the science” and “do your own research” are phrases often thrown about when someone is trying to make a persuasive argument about a particular topic, often in online discussions. However, often these phrases aren’t said or heard with a full understanding of what science and research actually are. Science and research are not just a quick Google search.

Science can basically be summed up as the systematic development of knowledge around a particular thing that occurs in the world such that we can form testable explanations and make predictions based on those explanations. Research is also the development of knowledge, and is a part of scientific exploration as well as other disciplines such as the arts and humanities. Research includes the creation of new knowledge, as well as the organization and analysis of existing knowledge.

Scientists and researchers spend most of their lives studying one particular thing and becoming experts about that thing. One of my professors in university studied a single molecule involved in a single biological process in a particular species of bacteria. This one specialization – one molecule doing one thing in one tiny little organism - has enough to explore in it to provide a lifetime of study opportunities for multiple people around the world.

When scientists study a particular thing, and through experimentation discover something new, they document their findings in a scientific paper. Those findings more often than not are scrutinized by a group of their peers for any potential mistakes or flaws in their methods prior to being accepted for publication – this process is called peer review. Peer review helps to ensure that the method used to arrive at the findings is sound, that potential bias has been accounted for, and that incorrect conclusions have been avoided. These published papers help add to the overall body of knowledge about a topic.

Just because a scientist has published a paper about a thing doesn’t mean that’s the end of the story. Researchers compare that paper with multiple other papers about the same topic to discern if the same conclusions have been drawn by multiple scientists, or if multiple conclusions have been drawn, whether the overall body of knowledge supports one conclusion over another.

This is how scientific knowledge evolves over time. New knowledge is added, incorrect conclusions are weeded out, and new ideas are explored. Science strives to provide the best knowledge we have at the time, while acknowledging that in a complex world we will inevitably discover something new that changes the conclusions we made before. This is why what you may have learned in high school biology (in my case, over 20 years ago), isn’t always the most up-to-date information to work from.

When we as laypeople (non-scientists) “do our own research”, we aren’t really doing research. We’re usually looking for information on a topic that interests us in such a way that fills a gap in our knowledge or supports a preconceived notion we have about how the world works. Your most satisfying Google searches likely end with a “HaHA! I knew it!” Rather than a “Boy did I get that wrong.” Often, we’re seeking to validate our own worldview, rather than seeking knowledge.

Likewise, when we say we “follow the science”, we aren’t performing our own studies and contributing to a body of knowledge. Rather we are usually following someone who is telling us about science. There are perils there too. Are we following well-trained science communicators who are well-versed with the up-to-date scientific literature and cite their sources? Or are we following charismatic people with opinions who make us feel a certain way but who don’t really back up their claims?

One of the most meaningful moments in my university education was when I was early for a class and listening to a lecture from out in the hallway. The professor said the most important thing the future scientists in his class needed to learn to say was “I don’t know.” As human beings, it’s impossible for us to know everything about everything. That’s why we need experts. And a trustworthy expert will always say “I don’t know” when a question falls outside of their scope of expertise. It may not be the most satisfying answer for someone seeking certainty, but it’s an honest one.

It’s also important for us to say “I don’t know.” Rather than trying to form an opinion by using Google to bolster our preconceived worldview, we need to be curious and search for good information from real scientists and researchers. These are experts who have devoted their lives to making the understanding of our world better, even if it is just one tiny molecule at a time.