Discordance in causal terminology between scientific papers and subsequent press releases: chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the “age of spin” - Takeaways - MDSpire

Discordance in causal terminology between scientific papers and subsequent press releases: chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the “age of spin”

  • By

  • Shawn R. Eagle

  • Natalie Sherry

  • July 8, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    The study analyzed 61 press releases related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) for inconsistencies in causal language compared to scientific abstracts.

  • 2

    A novel metric called the 'causal intensity score' was developed to quantify the strength of causal language in both press releases and abstracts.

  • 3

    Results indicated that 63.9% of press releases were more deterministic than their corresponding abstracts, indicating a prevalence of 'spin'.

  • 4

    Five press releases were categorized as exhibiting 'severe spin,' with z-scores ≥1.5 standard deviations above the mean discordance gap.

  • 5

    The findings highlight a significant discrepancy in how CTE research is communicated through press releases compared to the original studies.

Original Source(s)

Discordance in causal terminology between scientific papers and subsequent press releases: chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the “age of spin”

  • by Shawn R. Eagle, Natalie Sherry

  • July 8, 2026

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