1. A review article summarizes and synthesizes evidence from multiple primary research studies on a topic. 2. The authors of a review article analyze and interpret research conducted by other researchers. 3. An evidence summary builds upon review articles by critically appraising the available evidence to provide clinicians with recommendations for practice.

1. Danielle Carlock

3. 
Based on the scientific method (i.e. an
experiment is done to test a hypothesis)

Published in scholarly journals

Authors of the article carried out the study, i.e. it
is firsthand information
Primary research studies are the bread and butter
of EBP. Other, higher levels of evidence are
based on them.

4. 
Primary research
articles

Obituaries


Book reviews

Advertisements
Review articles

Case studies

News

Letters to the editor

Job announcements
NOTE: not everything in a
scholarly journal is
research based!

5. 
Primary research studies and other evidence based articles
published in scholarly journals undergo peer review

Peer review=Experts in the field of study (peers) evaluate an
article’s methodology, merit, and overall unique contribution
to knowledge PRIOR to publication in a scholarly journal

In the sciences and medicine, research is almost universally
peer reviewed

A journal is considered peer reviewed if it uses this process
for any of its material

An article is considered peer reviewed if it undergoes this
process

7. 
Usually multiple authors in a research study.
Why?

Authors are credentialed.

Authors’ affiliations are given. Authors are
typically affiliated with a research institution.

8. 
Who is the intended audience?

How could you tell?

9. 
Other researchers, clinicians

Clues:
 Purpose
 Jargon
 Reading level

10. 
In addition to text, what other types of
information are there and why?

11. 
Graphs
Charts
Statistics
Images

Why?




12. 





Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion/Conclusions
Works Cited/References

13. How would you characterize it (what is in
it and what is its purpose)?

14. 

To summarize the article
Includes:
 Why-purpose of the study
 How-how the study was conducted
 What was found
 What does it mean

15. 
How would you characterize it (what is in it
and what is its purpose)?

16. 1.
To introduce the purpose of the study
1.
To set the study within the context of
previous research on the topic (i.e literature
review).

17. 
How would you characterize it (what is in it
and what is its purpose)?

What is the relationship between the authors
and this section?

What was sample size of the article?

18. 
To describe exactly how the study was
completed:
 Describe the study population
▪ How obtained, characteristics, size
 How the study was structured
 How the data was analyzed

19. 
The authors actually carried out these
methods to complete the study-i.e. they are
both the authors and the researchers

20. 
Sample size=Size of the study population

Article 1:

21. 
How would you characterize it (what is in it
and what is its purpose?)

22. 
What the study found-i.e. presents the data
and an analysis of it (in the form of charts,
graphs, etc)

23. 
How would you characterize it (what is in it
and what is its purpose?)

24. 
An interpretation of the results (i.e. what do
they mean), including:
 Any limitations of the study
 An integration of the results with other similar
studies
 Suggestions for future research

25. 
How would you characterize it (what is in it
and what is its purpose?)

26. 
To document each of the sources used.

Follows a particular style (ex: APA)

27. 
Present findings/results of a research study for the first time.

The authors conducted the actual research (i.e the authors
and researchers are one and the same).

Undergoes peer review prior to publication in scholarly
journals

The article will include:
 Why? Purpose of the study
 How? Detailed description of methods
 What? What was found and what it means
 A works cited that documents references

34. 
Use this section to distinguish a review from
a primary research article.

If the methods section concerns itself with
explaining how the articles were found (i.e.
library research) and analyzed (statistics)
then you are looking at a REVIEW article

38. 
A critical evaluation of the primary research on a
topic

Are considered secondary sources

Generally are subject to peer review

Three main types:
 Literature reviews
 Systematic reviews
 Meta analyses

39. 
An overview of a topic written by an expert in
the field

No new contributions to research; instead are
summarizing the work of others

In some ways similar to a research paper you
might write in college

Example

40. 
Uses a rigorous, pre-planned process to find and
synthesize the results of many primary studies

Involves a search of the literature using
inclusion/exclusion criteria and then a
systematic synthesis of the results

Considered a high level of evidence
Example


41. 





Abstract
Introduction
Methods-describes how the primary research
was obtained (which is the study population)
Results
Discussion/Conclusions
Works Cited

42. 1. A systematic review is carried out to locate
high quality primary research on a topic
2. The results from these studies are
statistically combined in order to
summarize the overall outcome.

This is a very high level of evidence

Example

43. 
How would you characterize the authorship
of the article?

44. What is the purpose of the “What we know”
section?

45. What is the purpose of the “What we know”
section?

To summarize the current research/evidence
on the topic

46. What is the “What we know” section based on,
in other words where are they getting this
information?

47. What is the “What we know” section based on,
in other words where are they getting this
information?

Evidence from:
 Primary research
 Reviews
 Other types of evidence (see the “coding matrix”)

48. What is the purpose of the “What we can do”
section and who is the intended audience?

49. What is the relationship between this article
and primary research and review articles?

50. Type of evidence
Coverage
Authorship
Primary research
Describes/reports one
study
Authors are reporting Peer reviewed
on their own study
journals
(primary)
Review
Describes/summarizes/sy Authors are
nthesizes many primary synthesizing the
research studies
research of others
(secondary)
Peer reviewed
journals
Evidence
Summary
Appraises available
evidence on a topic in
order to provide
clinicians with actionable
information
Proprietary
databases such as
CINAHL, Dynamed,
UptoDate, Clinical
Evidence
Authors are
synthesizing and
appraising the
research of others
(secondary)
Where Published