Who funded it?

Money for cancer research comes from a wide range of sources, including charities, the Government, the pharmaceutical industry and other companies. In some cases, this can influence the reporting of results.

When considering a science story in the media, it’s important to ask who funded the research.

Is the work funded by an independent organisation - for example Cancer Research UK or the Wellcome Trust - or a Government body like the Medical Research Council?

Funding awarded by these bodies is carefully reviewed by experts, and it is not governed by a commercial agenda. Our website has more information about how Cancer Research UK reviews its research funding.

But research can also be funded by commercial organisations, which may have different standards of independent review.

It is important to try and find out who funded a particular piece of research, especially if it seems to be promoting a specific treatment, food or other product. And this needs to be considered alongside other things, such as where the research was published.

Read our other top tips:

• Look at the numbers
• Look for controls
• Understanding risk
• Is the research published? If so, where?
• Still early days
• Weird, wacky and wonderful