What NOT to Read: A Lesson in Reviewing and Critiquing Scientific Literature Using a Junk Science Article on Climate Change

A central challenge for college-level science and ecology students is understanding the significance of peer-reviewed scientific literature. Such literature is increasingly easy to access, but students have little appreciation for how it is generated and little insight into how it should be critiqued. We propose a simple exercise that demonstrates the importance of a critical reading of not only the text and data of a research article but a careful analysis of the reputation of the journal and the qualifications of the authors. We use a widely accessible article (“Environmental effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide,” by A. B. Robinson, N. E. Robinson and W. Soon, available at: http://www.oism.org/pproject/GWReview_OISM600.pdf) that is frequently cited by critics of climate change science. The article superficially resembles a “real” scientific article, but the flaws and departures from acceptable norms in scientific publishing quickly become clear to students. This exercise functions well as an initial assignment in a research article-based course because it gives students motivation and tools to critically judge published research articles. It also introduces major concepts involving ecological effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and exposes students to the political and scientific debates surrounding global warming. Thus, it works particularly well in a global change, earth system science, or ecosystem ecology course.