Writing the initial research protocol
7.1 Why do I need a research protocol? The research protocol is an essential document for all research projects whatever their size. It should be written before you launch into…
Preparing for a conference presentation
16.1 Submitting an abstract You must first thoroughly read the guidance notes given by the conference organisers. This will tell you what format your abstract must be in, the word…
Choosing the right research design
6.1 The hierarchy of research evidence Different research designs offer different levels of certainty about the results of the research and the idea of a hierarchy of evidence has been…
Getting started with statistics
8.1 Back to basics Before going any further I want to stop and explain some statistical terminology. Understanding the plethora of terms is half the battle in overcoming a fear…
Taking stock
1.1 What is research? Research is the systematic investigation of a specific question in order to establish new facts and draw new conclusions. It involves the discovery of new knowledge…
The Role of Statistics
Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests Parametric tests make a number of assumptions about the data for which they are used (the parameters to which the data should conform). The first…
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Approaches
We could add to this simplest form of repeated measures design almost infinitely by substituting further treatments consecutively. For example, we could substitute bowel retraining for bran. We could also…
The Single Case Experiment
As may be seen, in this example, the increase in fatigue following withdrawal of intervention during the second A phase is taken as evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention….
Writing a Research Report
Executive summary/abstract Abstract writing is an art. The researcher needs to convey a considerable amount of information, to the reader, in a very few words (normally, not more than about…
