Much of the discussion focused on the weaknesses and problems with academic research.
While this focus was necessary for evaluating academic research papers, it tends to make a reader too skeptical. Remember, no study will be perfect. Each paper tries to move existing knowledge forward by just one step, not to answer all of the remaining questions about an issue. Well written papers use as many tests as possible, make careful claims based on the reported findings, and openly acknowledge and discuss potential weaknesses. The results of these papers can be accepted and used even though no paper is perfect. In this way, academic research is similar to audited financial statements: materially correct, not perfect.