Reading Research

Barbara Davies, RN, PhD, FCAHS is a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, and has taught research methods in undergraduate and graduate programs. She was the co-director of the Nursing Best Practice Research Centre for 9 years and Vice-Dean Research for the Faculty of Health Sciences. She received a Premier's Research Excellence Award from the Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation, of Ontario, Canada. She is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Her research program aims to increase the translation and uptake of evidence into practice for frontline health care workers, decision makers, and consumers. She is actively involved in the development, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of best practice guidelines in nursing and health care. Jo Logan, RN, PhD, is an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, School of Nursing, where she taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs. She is an affiliate member of the Ottawa Health Research Institute. Her research interests include evidence-based practice and supportive care. She is co-developer of the Ottawa Model of Research Use, which has been used in many research and clinical projects and has been described in numerous articles and book chapters. She has presented many workshops on professional practice and research use and was a director of Nursing Research, Education, and Quality Improvement at the Ottawa Civic Hospital.

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• 1 Introduction Why Read Research Articles? Some Friendly Advice About Reading Research Articles Check Out the Reader's Companion Worksheets 2 Easy Steps for Reading Research Title Abstract Introduction Theory Issues Methods Design Part 1: Qualitative Design Methods Rigour in Qualitative Studies Sample and Setting Data Collection Data Analysis and Results Part 2: Quantitative Design Methods Experimental Designs Non-Experimental Designs Rigour in Quantitative Studies Sample Data Collection How to Judge the Rigour of a Data Collection Tool Sensitivity and Specificity Data Analysis and Results Descriptive Statistics Inferential Statistics Part 3: Mixed Methods Research Mixed Methods Study Characteristics Mixed Methods Data Collection and Analysis Results and Discussion A Final Suggestion: The Acknowledgements 3 Finding Interesting Research Results Where and How to StartDefine Your Clinical Question Steps in Constructing a PICO Chart Search a Database for Relevant Research Search Terms How Far Back Should You Search? Review Articles How to Read the Fictional Forest Plot Depicting a Meta-Analysis Appraising Reviews Searching the Internet for Research Articles Peer Review A Cautionary Note About Predatory or Fake Journals on the Internet How Will I Know If a Journal Is Fake?Why Should I Be Concerned If the Paper Is Published in a Predatory JournalWeb Portals Other Types of Databases Keeping Up to Date Social Media: Facebook 4 Using Research Results Research Utilization The Questions to Ask Clinical Practice Guidelines Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation Practice Guideline Websites The Decision to Use Research Results Gathering Support and Resources Want to Learn More? Bibliography Glossary Journals That Publish Peer-Reviewed Research Worksheets 1. Qualitative Research: The Reader's Companion Worksheet 2. Quantitative Research: The Reader's Companion Worksheet 3. Mixed Methods Research: The Reader's CompanionWorksheet 4. Systematic Reviews: The Reader's Companion Worksheet 5. Using Research Results: The Reader's CompanionWorksheet