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Points of attention when conducting etiological research
Author(s) -
Stel Vianda S.,
Chesnaye Nicholas C.,
Tripepi Giovanni,
Dekker Friedo W.,
Zoccali Carmine,
Jager Kitty J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nephrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1440-1797
pISSN - 1320-5358
DOI - 10.1111/nep.13875
Subject(s) - etiology , medicine , interpretation (philosophy) , disease , mechanism (biology) , outcome (game theory) , correctness , risk analysis (engineering) , pathology , epistemology , computer science , mathematics , philosophy , mathematical economics , programming language
Epidemiological studies often aim to investigate the causal contribution of a risk factor to a disease or other outcome. In etiological research, one is usually interested in the (biological) mechanism(s) underlying the studied relationship. Inappropriate conduct of an etiological study may have major implications for the correctness of the results and interpretation of the findings. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to describe step by step how etiological research should be carried out, together with its common pitfalls. These steps involve finding and formulating a well‐defined etiological research question, choosing an appropriate study design including a suitable comparison group, adequate modelling, and adequate reporting and interpretation of the results.