Chapter 3 Flashcards
After a general research area has been identified, what allows the aim and scope of the research idea to be refined?
Background reading about the topic.
What is the starting point for learning about potential areas of inquiry?
To read nontechnical documents and other files available on the internet.
What statistics are relevant when defining specific exposures, diseases, and populations?
1) Estimated PREVALENCE of the exposure in a particular country
2) Annual global INCIDENCE of a disease
3) SIZE of a particular population
What should we do regarding statistics?
Trace it back to its original source rather than relying on secondary sources.
If the source of the statistical data is unclear, then ____.
The statistical data maybe not be trustworthy.
What is an abstract?
A paragraph-length summary of an article, chapter, or book.
What do abstracts provide?
A brief description of the study population (sample size + location of study), the study design, and key findings of the study.
What do abstract databases do?
They allow researchers to search thousands of abstracts for keywords or other terms.
What is the most important component of a careful literature search?
A careful and comprehensive search of atleast one major abstract database.
What is the most popular publicly available health science database?
PubMed
List the health abstract databases that are available via subscription.
1) CAB Direct: For agriculture and nutrition
2) CINAHL
3) ERIC: Sponsored by US dept. of education.
4) MEDLINE: Sponsored by US National library of medicine and ONLY peer reviewed journals
5) PsycINFO: Supported by APA
6) Scopis, from Elsevier
7) Web of Science: Sciences and arts
A supplemental search with a general search engine such as ____ may be helpful for identifying additional relevant abstracts.
Google Scholar
When is a supplemental search especially important?
When the topic of interest is narrow enough to yield only a small or moderate number of hits.
Abstract databases can be searched with:
1) Keywords or MeSH terms using Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT.
2) Limits (years, languages, other parameters)
3) Article title, author (last name and first initials), and journal title.
What is the only way to truly understand a study?
Reading the full text of the article.