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There can be valuable information in the charts, graphs and summaries of animal health research studies. But these studies are also often greeted by a healthy dose of producer skepticism. After all, everybody says they came out best. The challenge to you, a cattle producer, is to determine which information is based on solid scientific research vs. questionable studies that may be slanted toward the sale of a specific product. Dr. Ken Odde, managing technical services veterinarian, Pfizer Animal Health, advises a two-tiered approach to evaluating research. One step involves looking at the review process the research underwent prior to being published; the other involves looking at how the research was conducted. "One of the standard measures of valid research is publication in a scientific journal," Odde points out. But, all scientific publications do not use the same standards. "Different levels of review are required for research to be accepted for publication. Understanding the publication review process can help you evaluate the research you read." The Review Processes Published scientific articles can be categorized as "refereed," "peer-reviewed" or "non-reviewed." Scientists active in the field generally review a refereed paper, while someone knowledgeable in the field reviews a peer-reviewed paper. Non-reviewed papers are often proceedings or abstracts from meetings and seminars, or papers submitted primarily for the purpose of airing information for presentation or discussion. "Scientists generally give information in refereed and peer-reviewed journals greater weight than information published in a non-reviewed journal," Odde notes. Refereed Journals Refereed journals earn their elevated respect through an extensive process used to evaluate articles appearing in them. Usually two independent reviewers, following the journal's criteria for acceptance, make detailed comments on articles, and then recommend the article be accepted, accepted with revisions or rejected. Peer-Reviewed Literature Some individuals use "refereed" and "peer-reviewed" interchangeably. There are however, "peer-reviewed" publications that are not "refereed." A greater number of review papers and case studies will be found in peer-reviewed journals. In these publications, the editor often asks just one person from the editorial board to read submitted papers and provide comments. The editor then works through any comments directly with the author and publishes the paper. Proceedings and Abstracts While proceedings and abstracts qualify as published research, they generally face no review requirement other than a program or editorial committee. These reviewers typically look for editorial style compliance or agreement with association standards, rather than evaluating the validity of the research conducted. "Although not scrutinized, proceedings and abstracts do provide a good way to learn new ideas or opinions," Odde notes. Study Evaluation The second factor to consider when evaluating research is how the research and its analysis were conducted. As a guide to help producers and others judge whether studies have used sound research methods, provide reliable data and have relevant outcomes, veterinary researchers Dr. Louis Perino, West Texas A & M University and Dr. Breck Hunsaker, Schering-Plough Animal Health, compiled a list of research recommendations. Key factors include a valid control group, a relevant population, a relevant treatment regimen and random assignment of animals to treatment groups. Perino and Hunsaker also recommend that project evaluators not be aware of which animals are assigned to which treatment and that testing be done in a typical production setting. Adequate follow-up during the project is critical, as well as sufficient statistical differences to detect the effect of the different treatments. And when determining results, outcomes need to be measured to determine if differences are both real and truly important. To establish how relevant research may be to your operation, look at factors such as the location of the study, the nutrition and environment, age of the animals, breed, etc. Odde points out that, "Producers should expect reputable manufacturers of animal health products to adhere to high standards for statistical analysis and release of research. Knowing the right questions to ask can help quickly separate the wheat from the chaff." "Our goal is to provide our customers with as much information as possible to help them make informed decisions," Odde adds. "But, it's very important that the information, like products, meet critical quality standards." |
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