The Impact of Misinformation on Health Science: A Critical Essay

This essay critically examines the influence of fraudulent information on public perception and decision-making within the field of health science, focusing on the controversial link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The author analyzes the impact of misinformation, particularly the Wakefield (1998) study, on parental decisions regarding vaccination and the subsequent decline in vaccination rates. The essay evaluates the credibility of various sources, including peer-reviewed journals and online resources, and highlights the importance of accurate and reliable information for public health. It discusses the anti-vaccination movement and its use of misinformation, emphasizing the need for valid research to protect the public from harm and maintain trust in scientific publications. The essay also points out the limitations in the original paper, such as the lack of clear statements and support from credible sources, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of translating research into practice to improve health outcomes. The essay also highlights the need for accurate referencing and adherence to APA formatting guidelines.

Running head: LEARNING IN HEALTH SCIENCE
Learning in health science
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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Essay organization
The author has defined the topic presented in the paper. The author has mentioned that
the audience often fails to correctly interpret the information presented in the journal. In the
paper the author attempted to throw light on the importance of finding out the truth about the
importance of vaccination of children. The background information to the topic has been
established by the author. The author mentions that fraudulent information if backed by a
noteworthy publisher can have an improper impact on the readers. The general population is
misguided when they implement the key insights from fraudulent research papers in practice
(Bowman, 2014). Further analysis reveals that the author has been successful in clarifying the
intension of the essay. The introductory paragraph of the essay states that the paper analyses the
impact of fraudulent information on viewers, found in the research paper titled ‘Measles, Mumps
and Rubella (the MMR Vaccine)’ published in 1998. According to Gastel amd Day (2016), a
road map is to be provided by the author in a paper that gives a brief idea about the objective of
the paper and the key points that are to be included in the paper. The paragraphs are poorly
structured in that the headings included in the paper are not appropriate and indicative on the
content of the paragraphs. While the headings for abstract and introduction are mentioned, those
for conclusion and body paragraphs are not presented. The conclusion of the paper is clear and
no new ideas are presented at this juncture. The conclusion leaves me with a sense of the
importance of the paper in relation to the importance of translation of research papers into
practice, and implications for health professional practice. According to Brett et al., (2014)
public action is guided by the acceptance of information found in research papers.

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Essay content
The author does not clearly state that there is no link between autism and MMR. In the
body of the paper it has been mentioned that the article by Wakefield (1998) had mentioned that
measles vaccination is associated with the development of Autism Spectral Disorder. However,
in the conclusion section it has been mentioned that Andrew Wakefield’s ‘article published in
1998 suggests that measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was not linked with autism spectrum
syndrome. The author further failed to provide credible evidence from peer reviewed sources to
point out that there was no link between autism and MMR vaccinations. The author reviewed
only one paper of Tanne (2002) to support the claim. The research is of less value as the
publication date is old. As opined by Flick (2014) a claim is best supported by a rich pool of
literature that encompasses different sources.
The author reflected on how the anti-vaccination movement used miss-information to
support their campaign. The movement based their protest on two notions. First, it was believed
that there is no real association between the vaccinations itself to wiping out the disease as a
whole. Secondly, there lies a school of belief that articles discussing the matter are fraudulent.
The example that the author used was that the fraudulent information published by Andrew
Wakefield was responsible for a noteworthy negative impact on the communities in the United
Kingdom. The ultimate outcome of the scenario was that parents refrained from treating their
children with vaccination. They had the fear that the children would suffer from autism in later
time. As per personal understanding, it would have been advisable if additional information was
included regarding the statistics on demographic data reflecting the incidence of non-adherence
to vaccination guidelines. Statistical data is important to understand the exact impact of an

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incidence on the population (Green & Thorogood, 2018). Such data provides a coherent and
comprehensive overview of the selected population feature.
The author identified why information provided to the public should be based on valid
research. It is mentioned in the essay that fraudulent information places the general population at
the risk of harm. Moreover it has been highlighted that incorrect information shakes the trust of
the public on publishers. It would have been appropriate if more detailed information was
provided on the importance of validity of information provided to the public. From the research
of Boulware et al., (2016) it is clear that timely, reliable and accurate information is vital for
ensuring effective decision making in the public in relation to health. Community organizations
are held responsible for bringing in inappropriate reforms in healthcare when poor quality
information is passes on to the public. Proper information free of bias influences power change
and healthcare authority.
Credible information
While some of the references cited by the author are legitimate, some are not. The
sources retrieved from ‘betterhealth.vic.gov.au’ website cannot be accessed online. Further, the
source of ‘Medterms.com’ website is also not accessible. Since credibility of sources holds prime
significance, the credibility of the sources would be highlighted at this juncture. The three
sources from the ‘betterhealth.vic.gov.au’ site are credible since they are websites of government
body. Such information is perceived credible since the information are retrieved from peer
reviewed journals and other credible sources backed by evidence (Flick, 2014). The article of the
newspaper The Guardian is not a credible source since such papers mostly cover personal
opinion. Further, the information presented is guided by the nature of the target audience and the

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present political and societal scenario in the county (DePoy & Gitlin, 2015). The citation of the
two journal articles are the two most credible sources since they are peer reviewed papers.
Article from academic and scholarly journals are credible as they undergo a rigorous process of
review before been made accessible to the public. The source of ‘medterms.com’, ‘The free
dictionary’, and Wikipedia are not credible since there is no evidence stating the authenticity of
the information. In case of Wikipedia, there are high chances that the information is edited by
individuals, adding to poor quality of information. The ‘.com’ domain signifies commercial site
and information presented in such sites are of commercial interest, signifying bias. Though the
information might not be always false, the complete picture might not be brought into limelight
(Green & Thorogood, 2018).
Referencing
Reference Label if correct/incorrect Corrected reference
During the time of January
1991 and December 1998.
(Tanne,2002)
Incorrect During the time of January
1991 and December 1998
(Tanne, 2002).
Therefore, a fraudulent article
suggesting that, (Wakefield,
1998) measles vaccination
Incorrect Therefore, a fraudulent article
suggesting that measles
vaccination is associated with
the development of Autism
Spectral Disorder can lead to
parents not vaccinating
children for measles

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(Wakefield, 1998).
As a result placing general
population in harm of death.
(Moore, 2006)
Incorrect As a result placing general
population in harm of death
(Moore, 2006).
Presentation
The author of the essay did not comply with the APA 6 formatting guidelines.
Correct format How the student has formatted the paper
Times New Roman font No use of Times New Roman font
The main headings are centered aligned The main headings such as Abstract and
Introduction are written as left aligned
The first line of each new paragraph is
indented
The first line of each new paragraph is not
indented
Moore.A. (2006). Bad science in the headlines:
Who takes responsibility when science is
distorted in the mass media?. EMBO reports,
7(12),1193-1196.
doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400862.
Moore.A. (2006). "Bad science in the
headlines: Who takes responsibility when
science is distorted in the mass media?".
EMBO reports, 7(12),1193-1196.
doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400862.
Better Health. (2013). Available at:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhca
Better Health.(2013).Rubella. Retrieved
May.4.2014

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rticles.nsf/pages/Rubella [Accessed 4 May.
2014].
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/
bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Rubella
Boseley. S (2010). Andrew Wakefield found
'irresponsible' by GMC over MMR vaccine
scare. The Guardian. [Accessed 3 May. 2014]
Boseley. S (2010). "Andrew Wakefield found
'irresponsible' by GMC over MMR
vaccine scare". The Guardian .Retrieved
May.3.2014
Written expression and style
The essay attempted to adhere to the guidelines of writing an academic paper. The
language of the paper is formal. Further, the sentences have been written in third person. Most of
the sentences are written in active voice. For example, the sentence “From this situation, the
power that medical journals and articles have on humanity is really evident” is an example of
active voice. Some of the sentences are not grammatically correct, for example, the sentences
stating “As the audience would believe that the material found in a journal is correct” and
“Moreover, accepting the importance of vaccination”. The sentences itself do not make any
particular sense to the reader.
The most confusing sentence as highlighted from the essay is “In addition, if the
information is supported by a well accredited publisher”. Insufficient information is presented in
this sentence. The sentence seems to be one having a cause and effect clause. While the cause is
highlighted as “if the information is supported by a well accredited publisher”, the effect is not
mentioned, making the sentence a poorly written one. Sentences that are written using cause and

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effect are supposed to involve an action that is making something happen and the result of that
action. It is expected that academic papers present clear sentences with meanings.

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References
APA Sample Paper (2018). Available at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/
[Accessed 19 May. 2018].
Boulware, L. E., Cooper, L. A., Ratner, L. E., LaVeist, T. A., & Powe, N. R. (2016). Race and
trust in the health care system. Public health reports. DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/phr/118.4.358
Bowman, J. D. (2014). Predatory publishing, questionable peer review, and fraudulent
conferences. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 78(10), 176. DOI
https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7810176
Brett, J., Staniszewska, S., Mockford, C., Herron‐Marx, S., Hughes, J., Tysall, C., & Suleman, R.
(2014). Mapping the impact of patient and public involvement on health and social care
research: a systematic review. Health Expectations, 17(5), 637-650. DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1369-7625.2012.00795.x
DePoy, E., & Gitlin, L. N. (2015). Introduction to Research-E-Book: Understanding and
Applying Multiple Strategies. Elsevier Health Sciences. Retrieved from
https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=XDETBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=health+science+research,
+book&ots=m9f5wxhiQl&sig=Tci2tvTQrPjnnjZznRf9hFMcEuk&redir_esc=y#v=onepa
ge&q=health%20science%20research%2C%20book&f=false
Flick, U. (2014). An introduction to qualitative research. Sage. Retrieved from
https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HB-