https://readlucent.com/blog Plain-language explainers on how scientific research works. en https://readlucent.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-a-study-is-reliable https://readlucent.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-a-study-is-reliable Sun, 04 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT A reliable study has a clear method, a fair comparison group, a sensible sample size, and no hidden conflicts of interest influencing the result. https://readlucent.com/blog/preprint-vs-peer-reviewed https://readlucent.com/blog/preprint-vs-peer-reviewed Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT A preprint is a paper shared online before scientists check it, while a peer-reviewed paper has been scrutinised, challenged and usually revised first. https://readlucent.com/blog/p-value-explained-simply https://readlucent.com/blog/p-value-explained-simply Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT A p-value shows how likely your data would be if there were no real effect, not whether the finding is true, important, or unlikely to be chance. https://readlucent.com/blog/statistically-significant https://readlucent.com/blog/statistically-significant Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT Statistically significant means a result is unlikely to be due to chance alone, not that it is important, large, useful in practice, or definitely true. https://readlucent.com/blog/how-to-read-a-scientific-paper https://readlucent.com/blog/how-to-read-a-scientific-paper Mon, 21 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT Read the abstract, then the figures and results, then the methods, then the discussion, and leave the introduction until last.