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Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:12 pm  |
Where do you find unbiased, reliable (and maybe scholarly) information about skin and hair care?
Do you usually visit Google books, or do you search through scientific journals?
If the latter, how do you search through the journals, and do you do it at a local university?
Finally, how do you decide whether to trust a source? |
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Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:24 pm |
| VeronicaM wrote: |
Where do you find unbiased, reliable (and maybe scholarly) information about skin and hair care?
Do you usually visit Google books, or do you search through scientific journals?
If the latter, how do you search through the journals, and do you do it at a local university?
Finally, how do you decide whether to trust a source? |
I check many sources some I started a thread on and a few have added links to sites. 
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=39428 |
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I'LL SEE YOU ON THE DARKSIDE OF THE MOON.... |
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Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:34 pm |
HERE!!!  |
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49 years young, brown hair/eyes, Careprost, Ageless If You Dare, Tanaka massage ツ |
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Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:26 pm |
Google Scholar, PubMed, web articles written by a named person with recognised medical/ health qualifications, web articles which reference multiple published papers or textbooks, certain government sites, not-for-profit health or fitness organisations, charities. Certain posters on forums who I know have good scientific knowledge and/ or a thorough approach to research, on the flip side there are posters I believe to rely on very poor sources or jump to illogical conclusions. No doubt some think exactly the same of me!!  PubMed is an index only but oftentimes you can Google the study and get the full text or at least more information.
Review articles/ meta-analyses save you a lot of time and effort because someone has done a full literature search for you!  Otherwise you have to cross check yourself. Consider the quality of the journal itself, how old the study is, the study design (number of participants, how the participants are selected, double or single blind, length of study etc), results of similar studies, how many other studies there are on an active/ extract with consideration for how 'new' or 'old' it is.
But even more than all that, IMO good research is about being able to assess which sources NOT to trust - that can be tough even for those of us with some sort of science background. I don't have the resources or the energy to double check every published study as I should in my professional life, so with skincare I sometimes need to be able to trust secondary sources alone. Probably the only posters who are likely to check every study are the (rare few) responsible ingredients suppliers/ formulators - so it makes no sense to allow healthy skepticism to blind us to the truth.  |
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Sensitivity, forehead pigmentation & elevens, nose & chin clogged pores. Topicals: Aloe vera, squalane, lactic acid, Myfawnie KinNiaNag HG: Weleda calendula, Lanolips, Guinot masque essentiel, Flexitol Naturals, Careprost. Gadgets: Vaughter dermarollers, Lightstim. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:48 am |
Firefox, do you also use Google books?
Why or why? |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:29 am |
| VeronicaM wrote: |
Firefox, do you also use Google books?
Why or why? |
I don't specifically search Google Books because many publishers do not check the claims in the books they publish AT ALL. Many of the books are commercial rather than scientific and some are decades out of date. If you were to take a biology degree you would be restricted on which publishers you can reference to the few which have a panel of eminent scientists for peer-review just as a journal article/ study should be. Honestly I have read stuff in commercial diet books that claims to be evolutionary biology but was disproven years ago, just a wildcard theory or flies in the face of the most basic anatomy and physiology.
Having said that there are a few excellent dermatology or health texts on Google Books. But those tend to jump out with searches of Google Scholar or when you are Googling for a specific study so I don't find the need to search Google Books separately. |
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Sensitivity, forehead pigmentation & elevens, nose & chin clogged pores. Topicals: Aloe vera, squalane, lactic acid, Myfawnie KinNiaNag HG: Weleda calendula, Lanolips, Guinot masque essentiel, Flexitol Naturals, Careprost. Gadgets: Vaughter dermarollers, Lightstim. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:38 am |
Interesting response, FireFox because I have a similar experience.
It does, indeed, seem as if the commercial books (written for a popular audience) are less trustworthy. However, the academic textbooks on Google Books can be a valuable resource. You have to restrict the Google book search to books that have been written recently. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:52 am |
| VeronicaM wrote: |
Interesting response, FireFox because I have a similar experience.
It does, indeed, seem as if the commercial books (written for a popular audience) are less trustworthy. However, the academic textbooks on Google Books can be a valuable resource. You have to restrict the Google book search to books that have been written recently. |
Google Books is like Wikipedia: you'd automatically fail a degree paper if you used that as a reliable reference because quality control is patchy. I do use Wikipedia for fast information on certain topics, for example the fatty acid composition of a specific oil or a definition that balances being scientifically accurate with readability. |
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Sensitivity, forehead pigmentation & elevens, nose & chin clogged pores. Topicals: Aloe vera, squalane, lactic acid, Myfawnie KinNiaNag HG: Weleda calendula, Lanolips, Guinot masque essentiel, Flexitol Naturals, Careprost. Gadgets: Vaughter dermarollers, Lightstim. |
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Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:19 am |
| Does anyone else use Google discussion search to research products? I do. |
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Sat Sep 01, 2012 5:49 am |
| Firefox7275 wrote: |
| VeronicaM wrote: |
Interesting response, FireFox because I have a similar experience.
It does, indeed, seem as if the commercial books (written for a popular audience) are less trustworthy. However, the academic textbooks on Google Books can be a valuable resource. You have to restrict the Google book search to books that have been written recently. |
Google Books is like Wikipedia: you'd automatically fail a degree paper if you used that as a reliable reference because quality control is patchy. I do use Wikipedia for fast information on certain topics, for example the fatty acid composition of a specific oil or a definition that balances being scientifically accurate with readability. |
FireFox, why is knowing the fatty acid composition of a specific oil so important to you? How do you use this information? |
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