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If you\u2019re \u201csearching for things on the Internet\u201d or \u201cwatching YouTube videos\u201d or \u201creading articles,\u201d some say you aren\u2019t \u201cdoing your own research\u201d but merely \u201cconsuming content.\u201d

This plays well with the peanut gallery because, as Aldous Huxley noted, the opportunity to maltreat others with good conscience, to misbehave as a form of \u201crighteous indignation,\u201d is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.\u2063

What is \u201cresearch,\u201d though?\u2063

The hecklers will often say something like, \u201cit\u2019s skillfully reviewing every study you can find on the matter and determining the balance of the evidence.\u201d\u2063

If you consult a dictionary, though, research is \u201cstudious inquiry or examination.\u201d

Ferreting around on the internet to find things to watch, read, and listen to is in fact \u201cdoing research,\u201d then. The crux, however, is how you go about it. Are you doing good research? \u2063

And that requires more than just scientific literacy. \u2063

So, can you \u201cdo good research\u201d if you\u2019re not an educated specialist? Listen to this podcast to find out.