Is Published Research Unreliable?

Dr. Richard Horton, editor of one of the most respected medical journals in the world, The Lancet, published a statement saying:

"Much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness."

That's why the first thing you should do when you look at a study is to see who funded it.