Can I Think what I Read?

Abstract

“Can I Think what I Read?” is an interesting question and an important consideration when approaching any information source. The real question must be “Can I trust the information and act on it in a professionally responsible manner”? Traditionally, material appearing in the scientific literature undergoes vigorous peer review that attempts to ensure validity, quality and relevance of any information accepted for publication. Often, the process requires the author to make significant modifications to the originally presented material, and the final submission may bear little resemblance to the first draft. However, and in order to dissect the question more fully, it is important to understand the publishing process and to determine the types of information available in the increasingly open world of electronic access to myriad data sources, the provenance of which is occasionally hard to identify.