Might, Probably & Could - Words that Fuel Our Passion

Rick Rader, MD, Editor-in-Chief, HELEN

There’s a stack of medical journals on my desk.

I’m talking about hard copies.

While I am familiar with on-line journals, I prefer reading them “old school.” One of the attributes of actual journals is that they serve to remind me that I must read them, or at least peruse or glance at them, or at least to scan them …. Or at least to move them out of the way.

I subscribe to about a dozen different journals. I at least want to be able to say, “Oh yeah I heard about that,” Trying to figure out novel ways to deliver healthcare to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities requires an ability to swim (or at least to stay afloat) in a variety of waters. I try to be conversant in several domains including rare disorders, medical education, collaborative care, social determinants of health, evolving systems, and standards of care. 

The Medical Repository printed in 1797. Courtesy of Yale University Library Online Exhibitions.

There are currently over 30,000 different medical journals published around the world. The National Library of Medicine has references to over 29 million articles. Most journal articles adhere to an organizational template that includes an abstract with a background, objective, methods, and conclusions. Dating back to the first scientific journal, The French Le Journal des Scavans, debuted in January 1665 and to the first U.S. medical journal, the Medical Repository printed in 1797 there is a commonality for most research articles. We find that most of the journal articles have ended with some variation of the final sentence, “The nature of these findings deserves further research.”

And while most research studies do deserve additional research (often preliminary research results in new questions, concerns, and opportunities) these parting words set the research team up to further their careers with additional projects (and hopefully funding).

A recent research article (which indeed ended with the need for additional research) revealed that scientists are beginning to refrain from using hedging terms such as “might,” and “probably.” These words, along with “could,” “appear to,” “approximately,’ and ‘seem” portray a trend to suggest that the research does not appear to be as “wishy-washy” as the results portend.  It “might” suggest that according to Ken Hyland, a linguist at the University of East Anglia, that there is “an increasing reluctance to undersell one’s research in a competitive academic world.”

There appears to be an increase in the use of superlatives such as “groundbreaking’’ and “unprecedented” – which may lead to exaggerated claims.  The reality is that funders are reluctant to continue to provide resources for research projects that appear to be floundering or not gaining any significant traction. Thus, wallets are attracted to reading that the first round of research is “remarkable,” “astounding,” or “unimagined.”

Jeffrey Brainard writing in Science provides this explanation, “The pressure to publish that academics face to gain tenure, promotion, and professional recognition may play a role, but there could be other factors as well.”

In the disability community we embrace the words, “might,” and “probably.”  We rejoice at the possibility of “could.” In fact, it is one of the driving forces for us to show up every day. We love the idea of seeing “could” chiseled in stone over the archway leading to our offices, clinics, labs, conference centers and homes.

Fans of mystery novels often read the last page first to satisfy their need to find out exactly “who done it.”  Those of us who read journals often go immediately to the Conclusion to find out “who done it and what was done.” This has become such a growing trend that some journal publishers include a blurb under the title “What this means to you.” It permits us to “cut to the chase” in a dignified manner.

“Might,” “probably,” and “could” fuel our passion; give us the drive, the incentive, and the energy to pursue the goals and dreams of the people we admire, respect, embrace and support.

We blatantly reject “never,” “impossible,” or “unlikely.”

No further research is needed, suggested, or recommended.