“in the Balance”: Weighing the Evidence
Authors: Edward J. Huth
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1994)

Editorials15 May 1994"in the Balance": Weighing the EvidenceEdward J. Huth, MD, EditorEdward J. Huth, MD, EditorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-120-10-199405150-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In their classic text on how to analyze and revise expository prose, The Reader Over Your Shoulder [1], Graves and Hodge describe the "natural arrangement of ideas in critical argument": A question or problem is stated; evidence supporting, or conflicting with, a tentative answer or solution is presented; the relative strengths of all evidence are weighed; and the answer most strongly supported is delivered. They were writing about argument of any kind—a debate on foreign policy, criticism of a government's fiscal management, literary criticism—and not specifically about "argument" in science. Their notion of critical argument applies, however, just as well ...References1. Graves R, Hodge A. The Reader Over Your Shoulder: A Handbook for Writers of English Prose. New York: Macmillan; 1961; 171. Google Scholar2. Huth EJ. How to Write and Publish Papers in the Medical Sciences. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1990;55-8. Google Scholar3. Lee KL, Califf RM, Simes J, Van de Werf F, Topol EJ. Holding GUSTO up to the light. Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120:876-81. Google Scholar4. Ridker PM, O'Donnell CJ, Marder VJ, Hennekens CH. A response to "Holding GUSTO up to the light." Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120: 882-5. Google Scholar5. GUSTO Investigators. An international randomized trial comparing four thrombolytic strategies for acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 1993; 329(10):673-82. Google Scholar6. Farkouh ME, Lang JD, Sackett DL. Thrombolytic agents: The science of the art of choosing the better treatment. Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120:886-888. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Edward J. Huth, MD, Editor PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHolding GUSTO Up to the Light Kerry L. Lee , Robert M. Califf , John Simes , Frans Van de Werf , and Eric J. Topol , for the GUSTO InvestigatorsA Response to "Holding GUSTO Up to the Light" Paul M. Ridker , Christopher J. O'Donnell , Victor J. Marder , and Charles H. Hennekens Metrics Cited byChapter 13. Characteristics of argumentation in consultations about palliative systemic treatment for advanced cancerThe stereotypicality of symptomatic and pragmatic argumentation in consultations about palliative systemic treatment for advanced cancerAdvancing the application of systems thinking in health: advice seeking behavior among primary health care physicians in PakistanConflicts between Commercial and Scientific Interests in Pharmaceutical Advertising for Medical JournalsLa Diffe´renceThe demise of the randomized controlled trial 15 May 1994Volume 120, Issue 10Page: 889KeywordsAcute myocardial infarctionClinical trialsPatientsResearch reporting guidelinesScience policyShoulders ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 May 1994 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1994 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...