1. SELECTIVE REPORTING OF DATA. Also known as ‘cherry-picking’, this involves selecting data from results which support the conclusion of the research, whilst ignoring those that do not. If a research paper draws conclusions from a selection of its results, not all, it may be guilty of this.

2. LOOK FOR THE EVIDENCE.RELY ON MEDICAL RESEARCH, NOT OPINION. #Look for the author of the information, either an individual or an organization, such as BY JANE SMITH, RN, or COPYRIGHT 2016, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY.

3. CLINICAL TRIAL SHORTENED TO HAVE THESE VACCINES AVAILABLE QUICKLY. The studies that led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines did not skip any of the phases of verification of the efficacy and safety required for the development of a medicine; on the contrary, these studies saw the participation of a very large number of volunteers, about ten times higher than that of similar studies for the development of other vaccines. The rapid development and approval is due to new technologies, to the huge resources made available very quickly and to a new evaluation process by the regulatory agencies.

4. At the end of 2020, the income of citizens in Italy has fallen by 4% similar level to 2008 and 2012

5. ASSESSING BLOGS AND FORUMS WITH DUE CARE. They can be useful sources, but they can also be insidious because they offer stories of patients and their families that arouse empathy and involve emotions. Be careful because they are almost always subjective accounts, but not necessarily scientifically reliable. Critical reading is rigorous.

6. The increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in India between February and May 2021 was caused by COVID-19 vaccinations.

7. ASK THE EXPERTS. Ask a librarian, or consult a fact-checking site, official source like the WHO.

8. In the months of total lockdown in Italy, industrial production was halved, especially for intermediate and capital goods

9. CASE REPORTS & CASE SERIES (observational) A case report is a written record on a particular subject. Though low on the hierarchy of evidence, they can aid detection of new diseases, or side effects of treatments. A case series is similar, but tracks multiple subjects. Both types of study cannot prove causation, only correlation.

10. ANECDOTAL & EXPERT OPINIONS. Anecdotal evidence is a person’s own personal experience or view, not necessarily representative of typical experiences. An expert’s standalone opinion, or that given in a written news article, are both considered weak forms of evidence without scientific studies to back them up.

11. SUPPORTING SOURCES? Click on links or check with official sources. Do they support the story?

12. COVID-19 vaccines contain luciferase, a substance named after the fallen angel Lucifer.

13. In 2020 deaths in Italy were higher than the 2015-2019 average, with increasing values especially in the last 3 months of the year

14. RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (experimental) Subjects are randomly assigned to a test group, which receives the treatment, or a control group, which commonly receives a placebo. In ‘blind’ trials, participants do not know which group they are in; in ‘double blind’ trials, the experimenters do not know either. Blinding trials helps remove bias.

15. At the end of 2020, final consumption expenditure in Italy fell by 10%, the highest level since 2000