Week 4: Research Design

Question 1

What is a research design?

Answer 1

A research design is the overall strategy that you choose to conduct your study, the goal is ensure the design will be effective address the research problem

Question 2

What is a Study?

Answer 2

Observational. The researcher studies but does not alter what occurs

Question 3

What is a design?

Answer 3

Experimental. The researcher intervenes to change reality then observes what happens

Question 4

Define secondary data

Answer 4

Reviewing existing data

Question 4

Define primary data

Answer 4

Producing new data

Question 5

Define qualitative data

Answer 5

Facilitates our understanding of human experiences and helps us learn about human motivation, perception and behaviours (using words, interviews and questionnaires)

Question 6

Define quantitative data

Answer 6

Concerned with empirical evidence and the findings that reflect reality rather than beliefs (using data, numbers and results)

Question 7

What id deductive data?

Answer 7

Quantitative research is deductive, researchers start with a hypothesis or idea and seek to use data to prove or refute this

Question 8

What is inductive data?

Answer 8

Qualitative research is inductive, it generates ideas and theories from what is observed during the research

Question 9

What is Meta-analysis?

Answer 9

A statistical process which combines data from many different research studies, using secondary research

Question 10

What is a systematic review?

Answer 10

A critical assessment and evaluation of all research studies that address a particular clinical issue/ a summary if clinical literature using secondary research

Question 11

What is a randomised controlled trial?

Answer 11

RCT, is designed to test the effectiveness of a treatment in comparison to a placebo/ researches test one intervention against a control group, using primary data

Question 12

What is a quasi-experiment?

Answer 12

Experimental research with primary data, similar to RCT but with no control group and no randomisation

Question 13

What is an observational study?

Answer 13

Defined as methods that patients or their data are observed without any intervention

Question 14

What are examples of observational studies?

Answer 14

• cohort study
• case control study
• cross sectional study

Question 15

What does a cohort study consist of?

Answer 15

A group of participants with an exposure of interest and a group without are identified, both groups are followed over time to observe outcomes, useful for calculating incident rates and risks (can suffer from bias and confounding)

Question 16

What does a case control study consist of?

Answer 16

Observational study where people with and without a condition of interest are identified and studied. Useful for studying rare events but can suffer from selective bias

Question 17

What does a cross sectional study consist of?

Answer 17

Observational study that looks at data from a population at a specific time, provides a snapshot at one time, good for looking for prevalence of a condition, disease or outcomes