Introduction to Clinical Research for Residents

Research is often viewed as the corner stone of scientific progress. It is a systematic process based on scientific method that consists of testing hypotheses, careful observation and measurement, systematic evaluation of data, and drawing valid conclusions. There are different research methods which are used in research, all with specific advantages and disadvantages. Which one the scientist uses, depends on the aims of the study in addition to the nature of the phenomenon. The main two types of research designs used in medicine are the quantitative research design, which generates numerical data or information that can be converted into numbers, and the qualitative research design generates non-numerical data that provides a complete description of the research topic. In this section we will focus on the quantitative design.