519 reviews for:

Bad Science

Ben Goldacre

4.09 AVERAGE

harrietmarydean's review

4.0
funny informative reflective medium-paced
informative slow-paced

Ben Goldacre should be knighted. That is all.

as far as pop science goes, this one is probably tops though a little snarky for me at times in a very british way. pretty good essays that go over in simple, but not patronizing detail, the big scientific misunderstandings (MMR and autism, reading papers, stuff like that). excellent introduction for citizen scientists.

Although overly critical (less sarcasm more constructive criticism) at times for my taste, a must read for a range of: from people that wish to better judge "science has shown" articles to scientists wishing to improve the rigor of their methods.

This book did a good job of explaining what practices can signal "bad science" and how the average consumer can spot them when consuming media or purchasing products. I liked that he gave specific examples and case studies, although some where left on cliffhangers and I wanted to know the end results of the case. I'd love to see an update with some more recent examples, especially from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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lost_hitsu's review

4.0

Yes this is an incredibly important and helpful book, I just wish the author had a bit less personal beef to talk about (and also that his hatred of the humanities wasn't quite so obvious).

fortesque1066's review

5.0
funny informative slow-paced

HUGE recommend for anyone who wants to be more statistically literate!

bionicjulia's review

4.0

A highly informative book that the general public (especially the UK general public) should read. The book is light-hearted in nature, especially during the 1st half of the book, but does get progressively more serious as the author tackles the issue of irresponsible media and the dissemination of sub-par research.

I learnt some important lessons from this book, and I would urge others to get more informed as well.