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Overview of Study Designs: A Deep Dive Into Research Quality Assessment
Author(s) -
McKeever Liam
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nutrition in clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1941-2452
pISSN - 0884-5336
DOI - 10.1002/ncp.10647
Subject(s) - medicine , research design , clinical study design , randomized controlled trial , quality (philosophy) , selection bias , confounding , external validity , data science , clinical trial , computer science , social psychology , psychology , statistics , pathology , epistemology , philosophy , mathematics
Life presents a web of interconnected causes and effects, transforming the simple art of observation into a deceptively complex affair. Study designs were created to address this complexity, though no study design is ideal. The current paper reviews the major study designs, providing tips to research‐consuming clinicians for spotting lapses in validity through the introduction of confounding, selection, and information biases. This article touches on randomized control trials, post hoc analyses, randomized crossover trials, quasi‐experimental trials, cohort studies, case‐control studies, cross‐sectional studies, case series, case reports, and expert opinion. The purpose of this review is to move the reader beyond the tidy realm of simple rules and bias forms into the nuanced mire that is research quality assessment.