Your Science Tool Kit - Evaluating Scientific Messages

Do not assume that what you read is always accurate, whether it is a  news article or advertising. The purpose of this activity is to learn to  locate basic information about scientific results within news reports.

Your Science Tool Kit is a set of questions based on Understanding Science 101 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and is one way you can help yourself understand a news report about science. Your analysis in this STK will focus on the Science Daily article “Complete rest until symptom-free after concussion may not be best for recovery.”

First:

• Read the news article from Science Daily. (2016). “Complete rest until symptom-free after concussion may not be best for recovery. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.”
• Next, you will want to read the scientific abstract of this article  that was the source for the report in the Science News from the American  Academies of Pediatrics. 
  • Halstead, M. E. et al. (2010). Sports-related concussion in children and adolescents (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. The Journal Pediatrics, Volume 126, issue 3
• Then, read this abstract from a respected scientific/medical journal about this topic for comparison. Please be aware that these were published just a few years ago, before the article in Science Daily and presentation at the AAP, which it came from. You should consider how research can change the ideas and procedures used in medicine and science. 
  • Harmon, K. G. et al (2013). American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: Concussion in sport (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47 : 15-26

Next, submit the following:

• Use this abbreviated version of the Science Tool Kit template (download template [DOCX,  File size 24.3 KB] to answer questions about the news article. Submit  your answers to your instructor for grading and feedback.
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