The Building Blogs of Research - Part 1
This is the first blog in a series that will introduce terms and definitions of scientific research.
These terms and definitions are going to be very basic. It is important to keep in mind that research is not basic.
This blog post is going to cover the main types of research studies. I give brief overviews of each.
These are not the only types of research studies.
Types of Research Studies
Meta-analysis & Systematic review: These are considered the gold standard of research studies in the research study world.
These analyze a whole bunch of studies on the same topic. Sometimes this is done with equations, sometimes it is just someone(s) reading and interpreting the data. Sometimes both.
Pros: A lot of information taken into consideration
Cons: Summarizes rather than looking at specifics and details
Interventional study: These types of research studies are considered the silver standard of research studies. (Personally, I sometimes consider these gold standard over meta-analysis and systematic reviews. One randomized control trial, for example, is easier to replicate and interpret more details from than a meta-analysis or systematic review).
Several groups are involved in interventional studies. One group receives an intervention and is compared against a control group that does not receive an intervention. In randomized control trials, the groups are chosen at random.
Example: a group of high-school athletes who train as per usual is compared against a group of high school athletes who receive an intervention of regularly participating in a strength and conditioning program.
Pros: Cause and effect from the intervention can be narrowed down
Cons: Cause and effect cannot be narrowed down completely because studies are done in a controlled environment. And, humans are all different anyway.
Observational study: This type of study is considered the bronze standard because it examines one particular group.
Example: a group of high school athletes with a particular disorder are observed over their high school career.
Pros: A lot of information can be gathered about a specific group or population
Cons: Observed behaviors are a perception of the observer
Editorials and articles: These are considered to be are “off the podium” standard. Editorials are written by “experts” in the field. Such as this blog. I’m not even considered an expert though, so this is just an article on my blog. An expert would be someone with years of experience in the field telling you about their experience in the field.
Vocabulary Time!
A few common words in scientific research will be at the end of every building blog article.
Sample size – amount of people in the study or individual groups (usually written as n).
Longitudinal – study is done over a really, really long time
Conflict of Interest – this is where the study should include who funded it. Results may or may not be skewed toward favored results.
DISCLAIMER: the point of research is not to prove that something is true or false, right or wrong. The point of research is to create a study that can be easily replicated again and again. If results continue to swing in one direction, then we start to apply that direction into our training. However, everyone is different and not everyone lives in a lab.
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