Home // Mechanics // Reading research reports
Points to consider while reviewing research studies:
  • Hypothesis
  • Method
  • Sample size
  • Measurement
  • Data collection
  • Analyzing data
  • Reliability
  • Validity
  • Interpreting the results
  • Drawing conclusions
  • Generalizability
  • Replication

Letters to the editor
It's interesting to look at the letters to the editor in the scientific journals. Researchers hash out disputes while teaching us all a little more about the world.

Reading Research Reports

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A research report is the story of the study. The story generally begins with an overview (the literature review) of what is already known about a phenomenon. After the lit review, which sets up the story, the researcher puts forward their hypothesis, which is the question being tested. The question can be very narrow or very wide, depending on the work that has gone before, which will have been covered in the lit review.

The report will then move into the method used to test the hypothesis, which includes narrative about what data will be gathered and how it will be gathered. After method, you'll generally see a section on analysis, which details how the data was examined, the tests used, and the results of those tests. This is the statistical analysis, and is the crux of the study. This is often the most difficult part of a study to understand, primarily because statistics is like a black art to the uninitiated. The discussion is next. Here the researchers explain what they found and how those findings fit in with other people's findings. If findings seem to be at odds with previous findings, this is where researchers will put their thoughts forward. They will also suggest what the results mean, touching on generalizability and limitations to the study.

Elements of a research report

  • Literature review - the state of the problem
  • Hypothesis - the question being tested
  • Method - how the question will be tested
  • Results - analysis of the data
  • Discussion - what the findings mean
  • References or bibliography - the supporting literature for this study

Literature review

Before research is conducted, it's important to understand the problem, in all its complexity. The lit review explains what has already been done, the theory that is being used to guide the research, and generally ends with the argument that is driving the study.

Hypothesis

This is the question that drives the research. For example, is there a connection between lead levels and cancer? Another example: when I do something specific, what is the effect of that action? Once the data has been gathered, the findings from the analysis will answer the question.

Method

This is the way the study is designed and the measures that will be used to collect the data. It flows from the hypothesis and draws on existing knowledge about how to tackle the problem. In order to draw reasonable conclusions, a certain amount of data is required. Sample size is the number of people who have participated in a study. What kind of data is required to test the hypothesis? Some researchers like to collect as much data as they can, which might mean asking participants to fill in loads of questionnaires. This is a key phase of any study: what are the measurement tools being employed? Are those tools reliable and valid? Have the tools been well tested? If they haven't, the data generated by the tools may not make any sense.

Results

The results of the analysis might be presented in statistical form, in tables and graphs. You might see "hazard ratios," "F-tests," "t-tests," and so on. Rather than describe those here, I will direct you to websites that will explain these tests in plain language.

Discussion

The researchers talk about what they found, speculate about what the findings mean, and suggest directions for future research. They will also cover limitations, which are points that either weren't considered at the outset of the study, or were considered and were accepted as unchangeable.

References

This is the source list for the study. It will include names and dates of other research that anyone can look up. This section is vital for other researchers, since it can cut down the amount of time spent amassing relevant research.