There are many people out there who have different opinions of research:

Some take it on blind faith that what is reported is the truth.
Some listen to people talk on research because they accept that person as an authority.
Some read medical news releases and believe them.
Some read the actual journal articles and pour their entire brains into understanding them.

Each one of these has its own validity and place.

So how do you get the most out of any one of these sources? Here are some tools:

1. The "Scientific Method"

In a nutshell, the scientific method is: observe-->make hypothesis-->devise test-->gather results-->interpret results-->make conclusion-->identify areas for further study-->repeat ad infinitum 

Observe something that seems to happen over and over again under certain circumstances.

Make a hypothesis--an educated guess--as to what , how, and why.

Test the situation against a normal situation, holding all factors the same except for what you're testing (you have a control subject)

Gather results: what did each of the tests tell you? What do they say in relation to the normal (control) situation?

Make conclusion: decide what your results mean. How can they be interpreted in the context of the testing that's been done? How does that relate to what was observed in the first place?

Identify further areas for study: what questions are left unanswered by your results? Did your results yield anything to show differences between subject and control? Do the conditions of the tests need to be changed?

Repeat testing. There is always something further to research.

In any research article, there should be an inkling of each one of these elements, especially the observation and the results.

2. If the article shows how the testing was set up, evaluate the setup according to what you understand, and decide if the conclusions follow from the results, or are they do not have any relationship.

3. Google the subject. For instance, one article mentioned the use of super-high amounts of vitamin C in fighting cancer tumors in mice. Some questions might arise:
                   1. Doesn't the body get rid of most of that vitamin C?
                   2. Why are they researching particularly vitamin C in fighting cancer? 
                   3. Why are they fighting cancer in mice? Why don't they use people?

Some things are hard to see and must be found by getting into the research itself.

For instance, nobody tells you in high school science class that there is a difference in the way a chemical works when it is taken orally versus taking an injection. A person can be rehydrated more quickly and effectively with intravenous saline than by drinking water or Gatorade. However, that doesn't mean it is evident that an injection in the muscle is different from an injection in a vein or tumor or even heart.

Yet these all factor in.

4. Search the journals for the research. Ask someone in the field about the subject. (Hint: university professors love to talk about their field of study!!) Look up the references given.

The more places you can search, the better informed you can be, just like any other subject. The more you know, the better you can decide if the article you read has value.