is there likely to be a link between the findings of a piece of research and the agency funding it?

Question

with examples

Answer 1

Absolutely. Particularly if money or power is involved. For example, the pharmaceutical companies research Always indicate efficacy and safety. The research efforts of lobbying interests Always (oddly enough) support their position (think Big Tobacco).

Always be skeptical of a 'study' until you find out who funded it and who's promoting the results. Do not think prestigious universitites are immune from this problem either. Although XYZ Univ. may have conducted the study and released the findings, someone, somewhere funded the research. Schools who depend on these big bucks to further their reputation are prone to the pressures of the checkbook.

Many times, the results of a study will be released to the media, the media will promote it 'as is' with no fact-checking or background checks. The public is duped because this 'news' came from their most trusted anchor, across a trusted network, and is never told the PR release originated from "The Lobby to Promote Healthy Cow Hoof Consumption".

The most trusted studies can be found in scholarly peer-reviewed journals. Your school or local library can help you locate these. These journals can be very specific and number in the hundreds.

Excellent question...

Answer 2

Oh yes there is. You're talking about bias. Scientists and researchers are supposed to be bereft of it, but that's not so. There was an article on msnbc.com just yesterday, I believe, about how scientists who are studying climate changes and the environment reported that over 50% of them felt pressure from government officials (who are funding them) to remove words such as "climate change," "global warming," etc., that may make it appear as though humans truly are affecting the environment. The 500+ page UN report is due out today I believe.
Perhaps you weren't just talking about science or laboratories, but even social research or historical research can be terrifically skewed by either the bias of the researcher (I see only what I want to see, I interpret it only how I'd like to interpret it) or by the bias of the person who writes the researchers' checks (You see what I say you can, you interpret it how I say, you report what I approve).
Hope this helped.

Answer 3

Of course! A lot of the negative things you hear about soy milk...come to find out, the dairy industry funded the research. It's no wonder the findings were "unfavorable".