WE-C-217A-04: An Analysis of Recent Literature Regarding Radiation Risk

The peer review process screens scientific articles for merit prior to acceptance or rejection for publication. After publication the process continues with scrutiny by other researchers as expressed in letters to the editor and other scientific research that either affirms or denies findings. Research into radiation effects directly affects the use of ionizing radiations in medicine. The quality of peer review of articles on radiation effects is therefore critical to the practice of medicine. This presentation will examine adequacy of peer review regarding recent articles on radiation effects that have appeared in the peer-reviewed literature. The purpose is to examine what factors in research techniques and analyses contribute to the quality and believability of the findings. Learning Objectives 1. To gain insight into the critical evaluation of scientific literature on bio effect s 2. To understand how to distinguish causation from correlation or association.