Chapter 4 Flashcards
What is IMRAD?
Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion – format of most research studies
What is a journal article?
research reports published in journals
-sometimes journals have restrictions on formatting that make articles a bitch to read
What do journals start with?
title and abstract
what is the abstract? why do i care about it?
a brief description of the study placed at the beginning of the study.
NOTE: When searching for potential articles, the abstract should help as a filter
to know when to read further or move on to a new article.
questions addressed in the introduction section of IMRAD
What is being studied?
§ What result is expected?
§ What does previous literature discuss?
§ Why is the study necessary?
(why is this level of detail necessary for me to memorize to pass nursing school?)
introduction components
The central phenomena, concepts, or variables under study, a purpose, a question, a hypothesis, a literature review (sometimes), a theoretical or conceptual framework (sometimes), and the need for the study
must an article have a specific literature review section
nope
The parts in the introduction that have citations from other sources can be assumed to be part of ________ if the paper does not include a formal section itself.
literature review
what is the methods section of IMRAD
explain to the reader what the researchers do to address the research problem.
components of methods section
- research design
- sampling plan
- measuring variables and data collection
- study procedures
- data analysis
whats up with the research design section of the methods section in IMRAD?
describes the type of study (ex. clinical trial, observation study, a
phenomenological study, etc.)
NOTE: some articles may only define their article as quantitative or qualitative,
but, others may be more descriptive/specific
whats up with the sampling plan section of the methods section in IMRAD?
discusses who the researchers chose to study (and can include people,
gender, ages, health conditions, or any restrictions used to prohibit people from being
included in the study)
whats up with the measuring variables and data collection section of the methods section in IMRAD?
discussion of what instruments were used to
collect data and how often data was collected
NOTE: If a specific tool is used it may be described in detail as well as a discussion of if the tool is reliable for the study. Sometimes the specific study tool is discussed in the introduction section.
whats up with study procedures section of the methods section in IMRAD?
describe the details of the study
Ex., A study that tested the effect of a medication for a response would describe
that for a six-month time period patients were administered this medication when a specific event occurred, and the results were recorded and documented for six months.
NOTE: Another procedural concern is addressing human rights. The
procedure for this could include several options such as informing the patients and getting informed consent or getting institutional review board approval for the study.
whats up with data analysis section of the methods section in IMRAD?
describes the method used to analyze the results, and this is expounded
upon in the results section
whats up with results section of the methods section in IMRAD? quantitative vs qualitative
discuss all findings that are obtained after analyzing the data!
Quantitative Articles: Names of statistical tests used, Value of the calculate statistic, statistical significance
Qualitative: organized by themese
what is stastitical significance
Statistical significance means the results are more likely to be true and
the results would be replicated with a new sample. A p-value of 0.05 or less is
considered good.
EXTRA: 0.05 converted to a percent is 5%. A p of 0.05 means there is
only a 5% chance that the results would not be repeated in a new sample,
therefore 95% of the time the results would be the same.
components of disucssion section of IMRAD
Interpretation of Results
Clinical and Research Implications
Study Limitations and Ramifications (for the believability of results)
whats up with the interpretation of results section of the discussion section in IMRAD?
The results section will provide all the statistical tests and results for each part, but the
discussion section will describe which results are important for describing an outcome.
whats up with the clinical and research implications section of the discussion section in IMRAD?
describe if the results of the study support a new change in
practice or if it requires more studies performed with a different or larger sample.
whats up with the Study Limitations and Ramifications of the discussion section in IMRAD?
With research articles, limitations are specific to the study itself, how it was conducted,
or if other variables were not considered. Unlike formal papers, limitations for a
research report does not include an analysis of grammar or language.
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The discussion section of most articles will identify limitations such as a small sample
size, participants dropping out, reasons for bias, etc. The findings from a study can be
considered stronger if the researchers provide an honest discussion of limitations.
NOTE: On few occasions an article will not describe limitations, and in that case
it is up to the reader to determine the limitation
What is reliability
the accuracy and consistency of information obtained
Reliability is easier to determine if….
a specific device, tool, or algorithm is used to
measure the data
If a tool is reliable it will provide ……
similar measurements under the same circumstances
what is validity?
the soundness of a study’s evidence
Validity determines if the methods are…..
- appropriate to study the outcome.
- and if the intervention is truly correlated to the result
what is trustworthiness?
credibility, transferability, confirmability, dependability, and authenticity
of the data
primary tool of assessing trustworthiness and how does it work?
Triangulation is the primary method to assess credibility in qualitative studies –
-triangulation is achieved by using multiple ways to measure the outcome.
The quality of a study or its scientific merit is measured by assessing the ______ and ______of an article.
reliability and validity
what is reliability
Reliability refers to the accuracy and consistency of information obtained from a study.
what is bias?
bias is a distortion or influence that results in an error in
inference (a conclusion drawn from the study evidence using logical reasoning)
how is bias reduced in studies?
- triangulation
- reflexivity
- randomness and blinding
what is reflexivity?
process of reflecting critically on the self and keeping track of personal values. Being cognizant of one’s own beliefs and values helps to keep them influencing the data.
what does randomness mean
assigning individuals to the intervention by chance
what does blinding mean
the participants do not know if they are receiving the intervention or not
reduces the influence a participant’s belief or expectation of the
treatment.
what is double blind?
A double-blind study makes the experimenters blind to who
is receiving the actual treatment as well to further reduce bias.
what is research control in quantitative studies?
Research control aims to keep as
many variables as possible constant so that the intervention or independent variable
directly influences the outcome.
Authors should discuss confounding variables, and in a best-case scenario find a way to
keep it _____
constant
Keeping a variable constant doesn’t mean to have every participant the same age, but rather to ensure that age……
is random enough that it is less of an influence.
Can the findings of a study be applied to other groups? qualitative vs quantitative
If a quantitative study is valid, reliable, and unbiased, it is more likely its results can be
generalizable or applied to other groups in other settings.
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In a qualitative study the goal is transferability, the extent to which findings can be
transferred to other settings
Which element is expected to be in the introduction of an article? A) Hypothesis B) Sample size C) Limitations D) Statistical value
Answer A, hypothesis.
The introduction includes the hypothesis. The methodology includes the sample size. The discussion includes limitations, and the results section includes the statistical value.
Which element is expected to be in the method section of an article? A) Literature review B) Sampling plan C) Study purpose D) Research implications
Answer: B, sampling plan.
The literature review and purpose would be in the introduction and the research implications would be in the discussion section.
The accuracy and consistency of information obtained in a study is the definition of what? A) credibility B) triangulation C) validity D) reliability
Answer: D, reliability.
This is the definition of reliability.
What method is used in qualitative studies to increase the trustworthiness of the study data? A) Triangulation B) Blinding C) Randomness D) Selecting a large sample
Answer A, triangulation.
Blinding, randomness, and selecting a large sample are methods used in quantitative studies to reduce bias.
What factors influence the generalizability of a study? (Select all that apply). A) reliability B) validity C) sample population D) study environment
Answer: A, B, C, and D, reliability, validity, sample population, and the study environment.
All of these factors are important. The larger and more diverse a sample population, the easier it can be applied to other settings. A specific and isolated study environment would limit the ability of the results to be applied to other settings. If a study is not reliable or valid then the results are less likely to be applied to other settings.
