Research Review Paper Outline
Select two published research papers for your review: The research paper must be published in a reputable journal such as the following:
The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of American Medical Association, The Lancet, or American Journal of Public Health
Study hypothesis - a working assumption
Summarize the working assumption used by the study researchers in the two research papers that you are planning to critique and review
Population - describe the population used in the two research papers, for example
Closed cohort - membership is defined by a given event, and no exit is possible
Dynamic population - membership is defined by a given state, and exit occurs when the state terminates
Study design - describe the study design used in the research that you are reviewing
Experimental
Observational
Both
The timing of the observations
Cross-sectional study (i.e., the exposures, health conditions, and other factors are recorded at the same point in time using prevalence data without attempting to reconstruct the exposure history)
Longitudinal study (i.e., since diseases occur over time, we normally expect a longitudinal recording of exposures and diseases in the follow-up study and in the case control study)
Define the relevant etiologic time window
What is the available knowledge of the conditions under study?
What is the hypothesized effect of the exposure?
Research study base - describe the research study base used for the research paper you are reviewing
Population sampling - describe the sampling approach used in the research (e.g., randomized cohort, case/control)
Data type - describe the type of data collection used in the research paper
Primary data - referred to as ad hoc data, or actual collection of data by researcher from a primary source or person
Secondary data - referred to as antecedent data, is data collected primarily for other purposes and used in the study (e.g., data from medical files, registration records, and so on)
Both
Statistical data - describe the statistics that were used in the research study
Descriptive statistics - can be defined as those methods involving the collection, presentation, and characterization of a set of data in order to describe the various features of that set of data properly
Inferential statistics - can be defined as those methods that make possible the estimation of characteristics of a population or the making of a decision concerning a population based only on sample result
Conclusion - describe the conclusions that were made in the research and indicate whether you believe these conclusions were valid or not
Outline one or more study limitations and opportunity for further research
Use at least two additional references or other research papers that confirm whether these conclusions are valid