Understanding Research: An Overview for Health Professionals

Week One: Sections of a Research Article, Abstracts, and the Introduction of a Paper (Literature Review, Significance of Problem, Research Questions, and Operational Definitions)

• Identify the 4 sections of scientific research articles
• Determine the purpose of the abstract
• Identify the 2 key components of the introduction section of an article
• Identify 3 elements of a research question
• Understand why operational definitions are important
  

Week Two: Methods Section — Study Designs

• Answer 5 questions to identify study designs
• Understand the relation between types of study designs and the time frame of the study
  
• Identify the data collection procedures by the study design
  
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control study designs

Week Three: Methods Section — Sample Selection, Setting, Measurement (Instruments, Validity, and Reliability)

• Differentiate a sample from a population
• Identify the strengths of probability versus non-probability sampling
• Determine inclusion versus exclusion criteria when developing a plan for sample selection
• Identify different types of instruments included in research studies
• Explain how instruments are determined to be valid and reliable
• Identify types of internal validity and reliability
• Identify data collection procedures

Week Four: Methods Section —Bias, Types of Variables and Rates (Incidence and Prevalence)

• Identify types of bias related to all study designs
• Identify types of bias specific to experimental studies
• Determine the difference between parametric and nonparametric statistics
• Differentiate categorical and continuous variables
• Identify the difference between incidence and prevalence rates

Week Five: Ethical Issues, Human Subjects Committee / Institutional Review Boards, and the Discussion of a Paper (Clinical Implications, Limitations, and Future Studies)

• Understand the history of research ethics
• Determine the ethical lessons learned from the Tuskegee Study in the United States (U.S.)
  
• Identify studies conducted in the U.S. that raised new ethical issues
• Identify key components of the discussion section of a research article

Week Six: Final Exam