How does research support the formation of ideas, claims and opinions on a specific subject

Research is a process of generating new knowledge about a specific subject by acquiring new information, analyzing it and putting it into the framework of existing knowledge in order to make new conclusions.

Let us take as an example the salient issue of electronic cigarettes. Being on the market in many countries for several years now, e-cigarettes have both their supporters and opposers. Some people claim that e-cigarettes is a good alternative to smoking tobacco and while they can be harmful they are less harmful than tobacco. Some people share an opinion that e-cigarettes are dangerous and should be banned.

Only research can educate both of these opinions with validated scientific outcomes. That is why so many institutions are currently running extensive research on the impact of e-cigarettes on human health. Until robust scientific data is collected, which takes a lot of time with subjects that are expected to have a long-term effect on human health, ideas in favor or against will prevail the agenda on this subject. Moreover, the lack of research can result in fear mongering ideas about e-cigarettes, or opposite to that, fashion to use e-cigarettes among people who were not smoking tobacco before.