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Should you do your own research?

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“Do your own research.” You’ve probably heard this phrase before.

Some see it as empowering, others see it as a sign of doubt or mistrust. All in all, it’s a loaded concept. Let’s look at the different perspectives, why it’s tricky, and how you can search in a healthier way.

Sources
  1. How to do your own research | Thinking is Power
  2. 4 reasons why you should never say ‘do your research’ to win the argument | The Conversation | February 2022
  3. What we misunderstand about doing ‘doing your own research’ | You Can Know Things | June 2025
  4. Broken trust drives native health disparities | Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) | January 2015
  5. Why mistrust is key to understanding the pandemic’s impact on the Black community | University of Toronto Scarborough News | April 2022
  6. Evidence synthesis – COVID-19 among Black people in Canada: a scoping review | Government of Canada | March 2024
  7. Institutional Distrust among African Americans and Building Trustworthiness in the COVID-19 Response: Implications for Ethical Public Health Practice | Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved | March 2021
  8. Barriers like racism, distrust may be main cause of health-care disparities for Indigenous women, study says | CBC News | August 2023
  9. Thalidomide survivor says Canadians should ‘trust the science’ on vaccines | CBC Radio | May 2019
  10. The problem with “doing your own research” | Thinking is Power
  11. How does science actually work? Let’s explore! | ScienceUpFirst | January 2025
  12. How does a scientific paper get published? | ScienceUpFirst | September 2023
  13. What do these cards have to do with critical thinking? | ScienceUpFirst | August 2024
  14. Support for “doing your own research” is associated with COVID-19 misperceptions and scientific mistrust | Misinformation Review – Harvard Kennedy School | June 2023
  15. “You need to do your research”: Vaccines, contestable science, and maternal epistemology | Sage Journals | August 2017 
  16. How to read laterally: SIFT | ScienceUpFirst | February 2025
  17. You don’t need to be an expert to spot misinformation! | ScienceUpFirst | January 2023
  18. Science Literacy | ScienceUpFirst | March 2025
  19. Quiz Time: Can you trust an article? | ScienceUpFirst | November 2024
  20. Hierarchy of Evidence | ScienceUpFirst | April 2024

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