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. 2014 Mar 25;11(3):e1001629. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001629

Table 2. TTC practices for misusing scientific evidence, identified through analysis of TTC submission documents.

Type of Industry Practice Techniques
Misleading quoting of evidence Misquoting • Inaccurately reporting objectives, methods, findings, or conclusions of studies
Selective quoting • The ‘tweezers’ method: Reporting extracts out of context in a misleading way by partially quoting and/or omitting qualifying information
Misinterpretation • Presenting a minor point as a main conclusion• Presenting absence of evidence as evidence of absence
Mimicked scientific critique Seeking methodological perfection • Insistence on observation of actual behaviour• Exaggerating impact of limitations• Ignoring research governance
Insisting on methodological uniformity • Privileging marketing research• Rejecting qualitative methodology
Adopting the litigation model • Privileging experts• Piece-by-piece review
Lack of rigour • Incorrect reading/interpreting of studies• Double standards• Lack of clarity
Evidential landscaping Promoting alternative evidence • Citing behavioural studies of individuals to oppose a population-scale intervention
Excluding relevant evidence • Omitting internal industry research on the role of packaging in marketing