Y học - Chapter 7: Reading and evaluating research reports

Chapter 7 Reading and Evaluating Research ReportsDisclosure of Research FindingsCulmination of research process is the public disclosure of resultsArticle in professional journalPresentation at a conferenceContractual research reportThesis or dissertationTypical Contents of Research ReportPreliminary informationIntroductionMethodsResultsDiscussionReferencesAppendix (if appropriate)Preliminary InformationTitleLength should be 15 words or lessAuthor informationAcknowledgmentsAbstractMay be as short as 150 to 200 wordsSuccinct summary of research studyNot required by all journalsIntroduction SectionTypically contains 2 primary elementsBackground informationAcquaints reader with foundation and rationale for conducting studyStatement of problemMay also include the research hypothesis, although less common todayHelps the reader understand why the study was conductedMethods SectionUsually contains information aboutResearch participantsInstrumentationProceduresData collection proceduresExperimental treatmentsData analysis proceduresMethodology and procedures are usually described in detailResults SectionThat section of a research report in which the researcher reports the results of the data collection efforts as well as the outcomes of the data analysisUsually includes consideration information from the various statistical techniquesIndicate whether H0 was rejected or notNormally would not include discussion or interpretation of resultsDiscussion SectionThat section of a research report that contains an explanation of the resultsInterpretation of the findings, culminating with the conclusionsConclusions should relate back to research problemProvides implications for professional practice and recommendations for future researchFunctions of Discussion Section*Summarize the resultsInterpret the resultsOffer conclusionsTheorizeProvide recommendationsSuggest future research*Adapted from Tuckman (1999)References & AppendixListing of all books, articles, or other sources cited by the authorFormat varies according to specific journalAstute readers should carefully peruse the list of referencesAppendices are rare in published articlesQuestionnairesTabular informationSpecial materials or illustrationsCritiquing a Research ArticleAstute readers should be able to critically read research reports and make informed judgments about the quality of the researchPublished articles vary considerably in qualityReferred journalsNon-referred journalsCriteria for Critiquing an ArticleBecause of the wide variety of types of research projects, there is not a universally accepted list of criteriaGuidelines are similar to those one would follow for developing a research article Consult textbook Examples 7.9 and 7.10 for checklist for evaluating research article