" Observational designs are nonexperimental, quantitative designs. In contrast to experimental designs in which the investigator manipulates the independent variable and observes its effect, the investigator conducting observational research observes both the independent and dependent variables. In observational studies, variation in the independent variable may be due to genetic endowment, self-selection, or occupational or environmental exposures" (Meininger, 2017).
There are three types of observational study designs:
In a case-control study,
" participants are selected and categorized on the basis of the dependent variable (the outcome of interest). The purpose of the study is to test hypotheses about factors in the past (independent variables) that may explain the outcome" (Meininger, 2017).
With a cohort study,
"participants are measured or categorized on the basis of the independent variable and are monitored over time to observe occurrence of the dependent variable. In a cohort study, it is established at the outset that subjects have not already exhibited the outcomes of interest (dependent variable)" (Meininger, 2017).
And with a cross-sectional study,
"participants are observed only once, offering a 'snapshot' of the characteristics of interest at that particular moment" (Research Methods, 2008).
There are no specific limiters for these types of study designs. The best way to find these types of articles is to add a keyword of the study type to your search string. See examples below:
"heart disease" AND cohort
diabetes AND "case-control"
hypertension AND "cross-sectional"
There are also a few things that you can do in specific databases that may increase the chance to find these types of studies. Below are two databases that will allow you to limit your search results to case reports, case studies, or observational studies only.
To find these types of observational studies in Medline, follow the steps below:
To find these types of observational studies in PubMed, follow the steps below:
Note! With any of these searches, you will need to limit to full text to get articles immediately available to you.
Meininger, J. C. (2017). Observational research designs. In J. Fitzpatrick (Ed.), Encyclopedia of nursing research (4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Research methods and measurement and: Cross-sectional. (2008). In I. P. Albery, & M. Munafo, Key concepts in health psychology. Sage UK.
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