About This Guide
Throughout your schooling, you may need to find different types of evidence and research to support your topic of interest. This guide provides a high-level overview of research types, study designs, and types of data you may encounter when searching for information on your topic.
Understand Evidence-Based Practice
What is Evidence-Based Practice?
One of the requirements for your coursework is to find articles that support evidence-based practice. But what exactly is evidence-based practice? Evidence-based practice is a method that uses relevant and current evidence to plan, implement, and evaluate patient care. This definition is included in the video below, which explains all the steps of evidence-based practice in greater detail.
- Video - Evidence-based practice: What it is and what it is not.Medcom (Producer), & Cobb, D. (Director). (2017). Evidence-based practice: What it is and what it is not [Streaming Video]. United States of America: Producer. Retrieved from Alexander Street Press Nursing Education Collection
Understand Research Study Types
Primary/Original Research/Empirical Study Designs
Primary research, or what is also known as original or empirical research, is where researchers conduct the study and report on their findings. These type of studies 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 studies, look for trends and draw conclusions. These types of studies include:
- Meta Analyses
- Systematic Reviews
- Literature Reviews
Tip! How do you determine the research article’s level of evidence or study design? First, look at the methodology section of the article. It should provide clues about what type of study design they are using and all the details of how they conducted the study.
The books below will help you understand the literature you find during your searches, including study design and evidence-based practice concepts.
How to Read a Paper by ISBN: 9781119484745Publication Date: 2019This book is an introduction to evidence-based medicine and healthcare, helping readers to understand its central principles, critically evaluate published data, and implement the results in practical settings.
Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, Fourth Edition by ISBN: 9781948057875Publication Date: 2022This book provides practical and pragmatic explanations, approaches, and tools to guide and support teams engaging in EBP projects.
Understanding Clinical Papers by ISBN: 9781119573166Publication Date: 2021This book covers every major aspect of reading and evaluating clinical research literature, from identifying the aims and objectives of a paper to analyzing the data with different multivariable methods.
