Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Policy: Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims

Nature volume 503, pages 335–337 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

This list will help non-scientists to interrogate advisers and to grasp the limitations of evidence, say William J. Sutherland, David Spiegelhalter and Mark A. Burgman.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Doubleday, R. & Wilsdon, J. Nature 485, 301–302 (2012).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Borsuk, M. E., Stow, C. A. & Reckhow, K. H. J. Water Res. Plan. Manage. 129, 271–282 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Huskisson, E. C. Br. Med. J. 4, 196–200 (1974)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Millar, R. B. & Anderson, M. J. Fish. Res. 70, 397–407 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Marvier, M. Ecol. Appl. 12, 1119–1124 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Fidler, F., Cumming, G., Burgman, M., Thomason, N. J. Socio-Economics 33, 615–630 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Fischhoff, B., Slovic, P. & Lichtenstein, S. Am. Stat. 36, 240–255 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Billinton, R. & Allan, R. N. Reliability Evaluation of Power Systems (Plenum, 1984).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Maslova, E., Halldorsson, T. I., Strøm, M., Olsen, S. F. J. Nutr. Sci. 1, e5 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. William J. Sutherland is professor of conservation biology in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK.,

    William J. Sutherland

  2. David Spiegelhalter is at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge.,

    David Spiegelhalter

  3. Mark Burgman is at the Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.,

    Mark Burgman

Authors
  1. William J. Sutherland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Spiegelhalter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark Burgman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to William J. Sutherland.

Related links

Related links

Related links in Nature Research

Research: A standard for policy-relevant science 2013-Sep-11

Nature focus: Science and politics

Nature focus: Meetings that changed the world

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sutherland, W., Spiegelhalter, D. & Burgman, M. Policy: Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims. Nature 503, 335–337 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/503335a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/503335a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing