Answer: What Is Good Science Advice?  Drug Side Effects

A. INCORRECT CHOICE

Feedback: Those who stand to profit from a drug stand to benefit from its sales. Consider whether any of the sources described in the other choices would be less biased.

B. INCORRECT CHOICE

Feedback: Does an influencer typically stand to benefit from endorsing a product? Would her followers be more likely to submit positive or negative comments on her posts? How would you go about minimizing such bias?

C. CORRECT CHOICE

Feedback: This result is from a randomly controlled trial, which is the gold standard for a scientific test of a drug.

D. INCORRECT CHOICE

Feedback: This is a sample of one; based on statistics alone, your experience could be wildly different—regardless of whether the individual in question looks like you (a quality that does not affect how someone responds to a drug). Which choice represents a broad, unbiased representation of people taking the drug?


Courtesy of Norton Publishing’s Smartwork assessment platform for Essential Cell Biology, 6th edition.