500 words Consumer of Scholarly Research

Discuss why knowledge of research methods is valuable as a consumer of research. As well as, discuss what it means to be a consumer of scholarly research, as opposed to conducting actual research? 
Student expectations for Forum questions:

Your initial Forum posts require a minimum of a 500 word substantive response. 
A total of three posting is necessary to have completed the bare minimum amount of forum work each week.
Original responses to the Forum group question need to be substantial and significant supported by at least one additional scholarly reference that goes beyond the readings. Students should be using the APUS Online Library to search for peer-reviewed journal articles that help support their argument. The in-text citation and references will be formatted in APA Style. Your original posting should be posted as a response to the Forum question. Please be sure to use your own words; meet the deliverable length; support your main post (in-text citations AND list of references); use paragraphs in your main post to organize your points and make it more reader-friendly; and post three time per week. Please avoid i ¦ etc and be sure to start each new sentence with a capital letter. All original response will be posted no later than Thursday evening at 11:55 PM EST the week of the Forum question. This allows time for others to respond to your posting. 
Students will also be required to respond to at least two (2) other students posting with significant comments that demonstrate critical thinking by asking additional questions or adding to the body of knowledge started. If you argue, controversial issues use a reference to support your argument that adds credibility to your position. Your response to your peers work should be engaging and informative with good substance. Your responses should contribute in a meaningful way to helping advance our knowledge of the topics the class explores.
There is help with proper APA Style formatting in the lesson