Quantitative and Qualitative Studies
Research is broken down into two different types: quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative studies are all about measurement. They will report statistics of things that can be physically measured like blood pressure, weight, and oxygen saturation.
Qualitative studies, on the other hand, are about people's experiences and how they feel about something. This type of information cannot be measured using statistics.
Both of these types of studies report original research and are considered single studies.
Study Designs
Some research study types that you will encounter include:
- Randomized Controlled Trials
- Case-Control Studies
- Cohort Studies
- Cross-Sectional Studies
Studies that Synthesize Other Studies
Sometimes, a research study will look at the results of many other studies and look for trends and draw conclusions. These types of studies include:
- Meta Analyses
- Systematic Reviews
- Literature Reviews
Tip! How do you figure out what type of study the research article you are reading is? First, look at the article abstract. Most of the time the abstract will have a methodology section, which should tell you what type of study design the researchers are using. If it is not in the abstract, look for the methodology section of the article. It should tell you all about what type of study the researcher is doing and the steps they used to carry out the study.