Understanding Clinical Papers

For two decades, Understanding Clinical Papers has been helping students and professionals understand the research that supports evidence-based practice. Now in its fourth edition, this popular introductory textbook covers every major aspect of reading and evaluating clinical research literature, from identifying the aims and objectives of a paper to analysing the data with different multivariable methods. Numerous excerpts from actual clinical research papers make learning real and immediate, supported by a unique visual approach that reinforces key points and connects examples with the chapter material. 

The fourth edition includes extensively revised content throughout, including four brand-new chapters covering qualitative studies, Poisson regression, studies of complex interventions, and research using previously collected data. New and updated material discusses the difference between clinical and statistical significance, the consequences of multiple testing and methods of correction, how topic guides are used to explore and explain participants' experiences, standardised guidelines for writing trials and reviews, and much more. Offering clear explanations of important research-related topics, this reader-friendly resource: 

• Offers a clear, concise, and accessible approach to learning how to read and analyse clinical research literature 
• Features new coverage of qualitative research, including descriptive studies, sampling and populations, and identifying, summarising, and measuring qualitative characteristics  
• Provides new material on missing data, sub-group analysis, feasibility and pilot studies, cluster randomised trials, and adaptive trial designs 
• Includes new tables, abstracts, and excerpts from recent clinical research literature 

Understanding Clinical Papers is essential reading for all healthcare professionals and students, particularly those involved in clinical work and medical research, as well as general readers wanting to improve their understanding of research literature. 

DAVID BOWERS, Medical Statistician, University of Leeds Medical School, UK.

ALLAN HOUSE, Professor, Director of Leeds Institute of Health Science, University of Leeds, UK.

DAVID OWENS, Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, Leeds Institute of Health Science, University of Leeds, UK.

BRIDGETTE BEWICK, Senior Lecturer in Health Research, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK.

Preface to the First Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Fourth Edition

PART I SETTING THE SCENE: WHO DID WHAT, AND WHY

  1 Some Preliminaries

  2 The Abstract and Introduction

  3 The Aims and Objectives

PART II DESIGN MATTERS: WHAT TYPE OF STUDY IS IT?

  4 Descriptive Studies: Qualitative

  5 Descriptive Studies: Quantitative

  6 Analytic Studies

  7 Intervention Studies

  8 Mixed Methods Research

  9 Studies of Complex Interventions

10 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis 

11 Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies 

PART III THE CAST: FINDING OUT ABOUT THE SUBJECTS OF THE RESEARCH

12 The Research Setting

13 Populations and samples 

14 Research Using Already-Collected Data

15Sampling for Qualitative Research

16 Identifying and Defining Cases

17 Controls and Comparisons

PART IV ESTABLISHING THE FACTS: STARTING WITH BASIC OBSERVATIONS

18 Identifying the Characteristics of Quantitative Data

19 Summarising the Characteristics of Quantitative Data

20 Identifying and Summarising the Characteristics of Qualitative Data 

21 Measuring the Characteristics of Participants: Quantitative

22 Measuring the Characteristics of Participants: Qualitative

23 Measuring the Characteristics of Measures

24 Measurement Scales

25 Exploring and Explaining: Topic Guides

PART V ESTABLISHING MORE OF THE FACTS: SOME COMMON WAYS OF DESCRIBING RESULTS

26 Fractions, Proportions, and Rates

27 Risks and Odds

28 Ratios of Risks and Odds 

PART VI ANALYSING THE DATA: ESTIMATION AND HYPOTHESIS TESTING

29 Confidence Intervals for Means, Proportions, and Medians

30 Confidence Intervals for Ratios

31 Testing Hypotheses – the p-Value

PART VII ANALYSING THE DATA: MULTIVARIABLE METHODS

32 Measuring Association

33 Measuring Agreement

34 Linear Regression

35 Logistic Regression

36 Poisson Regression

37 Measuring Survival

38 Analysing Qualitative Data

PART VIII READING BETWEEN THE LINES: HOW AUTHORS USE TEXT, TABLES AND PICTURES TO TELL YOU THE STORY

39 Results in Text and Tables 

40 Results in Pictures

41 The Discussion and Conclusions

References

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