Academics have a great tradition of review articles. Even in areas where studies are conflicting and controversial, review articles try to present a neutral summary of the current state of the debate. Of course review articles are often accused of being covertly partisan, but at least they are usually not overtly partisan. Review article authors usually focus on hard analysis and data over speculation, and bend over backwards to appear neutral via their tone, style, and presentation. This social norm of neutral summaries seems to help academics aggregate info in complex areas.