Need help evaluating your sources? Use the acronym, ACT UP, to determine whether or not a resource is right for you.
Here are some questions to ask as you read health news articles, adapted from PubMed Health's How to Read Health News.
You might need to find more information about the study/studies being described, in order to assess the article's accuracy or fill in the gaps. If the article doesn't answer some of these questions, chances are it's not telling the whole story.
Does the article support its claims with scientific research?
Did the study actually assess what's in the headline?
Was the research in humans?
How many people did it include?
Did the study have a control group?
Who paid for and conducted the study?