I think the original naive critique is valid though. What if the consensus is wrong? But of course, it's better than one random study, unless you particularly trust that researcher and none of the others.
Still not sure where he mentions it in the series, but I wonder if it's Asimov making up a far futuristic galactic version of Scholasticism, with its focus on reinterpreting existing works, for his far future version of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.