Communication Of Research Findings Research Articles

At Odds: Concerns Raised by Using Odds Ratios for Continuous or Common Dichotomous Outcomes in Research on Physical Activity and Obesity

PURPOSE: Research on obesity and the built environment has often featured logistic regression and the corresponding parameter, the odds ratio. Use of odds ratios for common outcomes such obesity may unnecessarily hinder the validity, interpretation, and communication of research findings. METHODS: We identified three key issues raised by the use of odds ratios, illustrating them with data on walkability and body mass index from a study of 13,102 New York City residents. RESULTS: First, dichotomization of continuous measures such as body mass index discards theoretically relevant information, reduces statistical power, and amplifies measurement error. Second, odds ratios are systematically higher (further from the null) than prevalence ratios; this inflation is trivial for rare outcomes, but substantial for common outcomes like obesity. Third, odds ratios can lead to incorrect conclusions during tests of interactions. The odds ratio in a particular subgroup might higher simply because the outcome is more common (and the odds ratio inflated) compared with other subgroups. CONCLUSION: Our recommendations are to take full advantage of continuous outcome data when feasible and to use prevalence ratios in place of odds ratios for common dichotomous outcomes. When odds ratios must be used, authors should document outcome prevalence across exposure groups.

Improving access to scholarly research in Africa: open access initiatives

For many scientists and medics, especially those in lower-income countries such as sub-Saharan Africa, access to the latest research can be limited and restricted. In this age of technology should anyone have to pay to access research published online? To aid both the economic development of developing countries and to ensure a complete scientific record, scholarly research must be made freely accessible – open access (OA) publishing provides free, immediate and permanent online access to the full text of an article, presenting researchers with easily accessible high-quality scientific resources essential to the rapid and efficient global communication of research findings. Various projects and initiatives aimed at improving the situation for the developing world are described in this article, including BioMed Central’s ‘Open Access Africa’ initiative.

Publication Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Communication of research findings is the utmost responsibility of all scientists. Publication bias occurs if scientific studies with negative or null results fail to get published. This can happen due to bias in submitting, reviewing, accepting, publishing or aggregating scientific literature that fails to show positive results on a particular topic. Publication bias can make scientific literature unrepresentative of the actual research studies. This can give the reader a false impression about the beneficial effects of a particular treatment or intervention and can influence clinical decision making. Publication bias is more common than it is actually considered to be, but there are ways to detect and prevent it. This paper comments on the occurrence, types and consequences of publication bias and the strategies employed to detect and control it.

Integrating research and conservation land management – a case study from Koala research in St Bees Island National Park

Our 11 year multidisciplinary study of Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in St Bees Island National Park provides an understanding of the implications of the strategic use of fire and control of introduced browsers, goat and swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) for the maintenance of Koalas, Koala habitat and eucalypt woodlands within the national park. The research involved a close association with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and their staff. This relationship integrated research, park planning and management. The project is a model for researchmanagement integration, especially in relation to information relevance, relationships and understandable, timely communication of research findings. We propose strategies for more general application of this model.

Health Professional Knowledge of Breastfeeding: Are the Health Risks of Infant Formula Feeding Accurately Conveyed by the Titles and Abstracts of Journal Articles?

Effective promotion of breastfeeding is constrained if health professionals' knowledge on its importance is deficient. This study asks whether formula feeding is named as the risk factor in published research or whether it is considered the unspoken norm. A systematic analysis is conducted of the information content of titles and abstracts of 78 studies that report poorer health among formula-fed infants. This shows a surprising silence in the studies examined; formula is rarely named in publication titles or abstracts as an exposure increasing health risk. In 30% of cases, titles imply misleadingly that breastfeeding raises health risk. Only 11% of abstracts identify formula feeding as a health risk exposure. Initiatives to increase breastfeeding have described the importance of accurate language and well-informed health professional support. If widespread, this skew in communication of research findings may reduce health professionals' knowledge and support for breastfeeding.

How Can We Address Health Inequality Through Healthy Public Policy in Europe?

In many parts of the world, there is growing commitment to the idea that public policy and public interventions in all domains (not only the medical and public health sector) should be scrutinized in terms of their potential impact on public health for the populations affected. Prospective Health Impact Assessment (HIA) considers the likely significance of these potential public health outcomes. This article considers some examples of strategies which are being used in European countries to facilitate HIA. These are interpreted in terms of theories of a world risk society , put forward by Ulrich Beck. The application of HIA to promote healthy public policy is complex because it crosses professional, disciplinary and geographical borders and involves some challenging issues of knowledge translation and social construction of environmental risks. It therefore shares some characteristics with other forms of regional planning for sustainable development.This article considers the relevance of literature from regional science concerning the appropriate scale and type of agency to handle complex regional planning issues and how to create learning regions that successfully integrate new knowledge into regional policy. HIA also poses some broader general questions about the role of science in society.This article considers the implications for the communication of research findings on health risk, and the contribution of geography and regional science to interdisciplinary research in this field.

Statistical Reporting for Current and Future Readers

Statistical Reporting for Current and Future Readers

Scientific medical research and publication in Nigeria

and for the absolute poor, due to the vicious circle of poverty and ill-health 2 . Conversely, improvement in health will boost the individual's level of income (due to lower treatment cost, higher revenue, a longer term increase in revenue due to better work opportunities and overall growth in revenues due to longer life-expectancy). It will also improve the individual's capacity to acquire an education, increase the family's productive opportunities and greatly improve the psychological well-being of both the individual and family. The benefit of good health will be even greater for the absolute poor, as they may transform the vicious circle of poverty into a virtuous cycle, with better nutrition, lower risk of unemployment or underemployment, better housing, better use of training opportunities, higher productivity and overall, better control over their life situation and that of their family 2 . How good and beneficial a research finding may be, it can only be useful if shared with others. This is what communication of research findings is all about. Communication of research findings can be either in oral presentation in a conference/scientific meetings or presentation in a written form otherwise known as publication. There are three main types of publications - Thesis or dissertation, Book or Monograph and a Journal Article. The aim of this presentation is to review the logical steps in scientific medical research, discuss the types of publications, identify challenges in research and publication in Nigeria and proffer some solution to overcome these challenges.

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research Editorial

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research is an open access, online journal that aims to expeditiously publish clinical and basic research studies related to musculoskeletal issues in different cultural communities. It provides a platform for exchanges of new clinical and scientific information in the most precise and expeditious way to achieve dissemination of information and cross-fertilization of ideas. The open access nature of this journal allows articles to be universally and freely accessible via the Internet. This ensures a rapid and efficient communication of research findings. The journal welcomes all types of articles related to musculoskeletal issues. Its timely publication and high visibility are the two most important features that make this journal different from other traditional journals in the orthopaedic field.

Evidence-Based Practice: Too Little, Too Late?

Recently an article appeared in the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) titled, "Readiness of U.S. Nurses for Evidence-Based Practice" (Pravikoff, Tanner, & Pierce, 2005). It felt like we never left the 198Os! The authors might easily have substituted the term research utilization for evidence-based practice in the article's title because it appears that little has changed in over 20 years. The article by Pravikoff, Tanner, and Pierce (2005) shares the results of a survey the authors conducted to examine "nurses' perceptions of their skills in obtaining evidence and their access to tools with which to do so" (p. 41). The survey assumed that lack of time was the primary barrier to nurses' use of an evidence-based practice (EBP) approach to practice and listed the following as the next five top-ranked barriers: * Lack of value for research in practice * Lack of understanding of organization or structure of electronic databases * Difficulty accessing research materials * Lack of computer skills * Difficulty understanding research articles. How different are these from the barriers described in earlier decades in relation to research utilization? In 1990, Levin discussed the primary factors cited in the literature as contributing to the gap between research and practice. These were: (a) the nurses' educational preparation, which could provide the skills for understanding how to access research or evidence and understanding how to read and critique research; (b) communication of research findings by researchers-that is, disseminating research findings in a way that all nursing clinicians could understand; and (c) organizational resources, which include the climate for using research (or evidence) in practice, the availability of consultation, and financial support (which includes providing nurses with time away from the bedside to engage in scholarly practice). In 1993, Feldman et al. published their article, "Bridging the Nursing Research-Practice Gap through Research Utilization," to highlight the need to overcome many of these same barriers. A year later, in 1994, Pettengill, Gillies, and Clark cited lack of time as the factor that most discouraged research utilization, no different from the recent AJN finding cited above. Also, lack of nursing staff support was cited as a discouraging factor for service nurses. This is akin to having the support staff available to cover patient assignments, giving nurses time to access and review research (evidence) related to a clinical problem. Most interesting was the perception by educators that they lacked administrative support for research utilization activities. In studies conducted over the past 2 years by Fineout-Overholt, Levin, and Melnyk (2004/2005) similar barriers to EBP as described above over three decades are still evident: lack of knowledge of how to implement the EBP process (previously the research or research utilization process); deficiency of critical appraisal skills to evaluate research (or other types of evidence); and lack of administrative or organizational support for the scholarly aspect of practice. Over the past 2 years, however, we have learned that the introduction of an EBP model for practice and the implementation of this model can be a reality. What is needed are the following facilitators: * Organizational commitment of financial resources, whether in the form of released time for nurses via coverage of direct care responsibilities or financial reimbursement for continuing education * The implementation of a mentorship model (e. …

Understanding Population and Individual Risk Assessment: The Case of Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Decisions about how to improve or protect the public health can be, and sometimes necessarily are, made on imprecise science. The regulation of potential human carcinogens in the environment entails a population-risk assessment process intended to reduce risks to less than one additional cancer in 100,000 or 1,000,000 persons. These risk assessment processes, however, may be miscommunicated or misinterpreted in the context of individual cancer risks by scientists, regulators, the lay media, and the public. This commentary will review methods for establishing a causal relationship between carcinogen exposures and cancer risk. It will use the case of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) as an example of how to place scientific data into the context of human exposure and cancer risk. PCBs are widespread environmental contaminants and most people have detectable levels of PCBs in their bodies. The primary source for exposure in the general population is through the diet. PCBs are carcinogens in experimental animal models, but how this information can be extrapolated to human risk remains uncertain. PCB experimental studies provide data that are used to regulate and control human exposure, although the epidemiologic evidence fails to establish PCBs as human carcinogens. Thus, what is used for population-risk assessment may not be appropriate for individual-risk assessment or concluding that a causal relationship exists between PCB exposure and cancer risk. The hazards from a carcinogen designated by regulatory and review agencies as a "probable" human carcinogen is often misunderstood out of context about the magnitude of the risk and in what settings. How scientists communicate their results in scientific articles can strongly influence how others interpret their data. Misunderstandings from both the use of regulatory and review-agency opinions and the conclusions espoused by scientists occur in the media, among private physicians counseling their patients about cancer risk, and in the legal settings where plaintiffs seek compensation for exposure and alleged harm (or future harm). This can lead to false conclusions about what caused a cancer in a specific patient, undue anxiety about future cancer risk, inappropriate cancer screening, and attendant increased morbidity due to increased uses of the medical system and complication rates from medical procedures. The communication of research findings by scientists must be presented with caution, resisting the temptation to extrapolate, inappropriately, research data to the general population.

Viewpoint: Triangulation of research, teaching and practice

The compelling ideal of the modern university associated with the famous educationist Ernest Boyer is a scholarly organism underpinned by a symbiotic relationship between teaching and research. This complementarity is not necessarily there in practice (Freestone et al., 2003). The cleavage is frequently institutionalised and experienced in unsettling ways at an individual level. Introducing a stimulating collection of reflective stories, Andre and Frost sardonically capture the unwritten instruction issued to new academics: Your job includes two primary tasks. Task One will earn you an increased salary, will secure your professional mobility, will enhance the reputation of your employer, will result in invitations to attend interesting conferences nationally and internationally, and can be done on a flexitime basis and at home. Task Two is unlikely to enhance your salary, save your tenure decision, or increase your professional mobility significantly and may, if pursued with too much enthusiasm, undermine these. (Andre and Frost, 1997, ix-xii) There remains an obvious nexus between research and teaching, however indirect. The rationales of research-led, -oriented, or -informed teaching are widely recognised, if only implicitly. But the research-teaching relationship can be complex, contested and 'troubled' (ACSP, 2003). Links should not be bludgeoned through insensitivity to disciplinary, cultural, institutional, experiential, temporal and other differences. Nevertheless, benefits of greater synergies between research and teaching have emerged as a vector of some significance for tertiary educators, institutions, and funding and review bodies. Marsh and Hattie distil the case for research-rich teaching strategies: Research forms the basis of the content of teaching. Teachers who are active researchers are more likely to be on the cutting edge of their discipline and aware of international perspectives in their field Results from one's research can be used to clarify, update, and amend the teaching of a topic. Research enhances teaching through the introduction of new topics and methodologies. Teachers discussing their own research provide a sense of excitement about the results and how they fit into a larger picture. Active researchers are more effective at instilling an actively critical approach to understanding complex research findings rather [than] a passive acceptance of facts. Students appreciate teachers who present research that the teachers have actually conducted. (Marsh and Hattie, 2002, 604) Teaching-informed research can also stimulate better communication of research findings, new insights, and research proposals. Marsh and Hattie also capture this bidirectionality: The process of teaching the subject matter of a discipline forces academics to clarify the big picture into which their specific research specialisation fits. Preparation of teaching materials can elucidate gaps in the academic's knowledge. Sharing the results of one's research with students in a teaching context helps researchers clarify their research. Students' suggestions, comments, questions, and criticisms can elucidate new research directions. (Marsh and Hattie, 2002, 604) The relevance of this nexus to planning education is apparent (Webster, 2002) and has been secured by the highly productive LINK project funded for three years by the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning and run by Roger Zetter, Alan Jenkins and Bridget Durning of Oxford Brookes University in collaboration with colleagues in three other British universities. The LINK website has evolved into a valuable resource of case studies, best-practice guidelines, and change strategies. The project capstone was an international conference held in Oxford in late 2003 (Oxford Brookes University, 2003). What became evident through the conference was the distinctive milieu in which planners are educated with its net of linkages, albeit of varied strength, to the community, the profession and the broader planning industry. …

Research Design in Clinical Psychology, 3rd ed.

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book Forum: BUILDING CLINICAL SCIENCEFull AccessResearch Design in Clinical Psychology, 3rd ed.Somaia Mohamed, M.D., Ph.D., Somaia MohamedSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Ph.D., Iowa City, IowaPublished Online:1 Jul 1998https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.155.7.990aAboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail A well-known clinical researcher and author of several works on the topics of research design, clinical psychology, child and adolescent therapy, psychotherapy, and cognitive behavior therapy, Alan Kazdin is Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychology, and Professor, Child Study Center, Yale University. This book is the third edition of a work originally published in 1980 and 1992. The third edition includes significant additions, revisions, and updates from the earlier editions.This informative, interesting, and well-organized book describes and explains methodology and research design in clinical psychology. Its contents are also certainly relevant to research in disciplines such as psychiatry, counseling, education, school psychology, and social work.The book covers methodological practices and procedures employed by clinical psychologists as well as the underpinnings, rationale, and purposes of these practices. It addressees in detail experimental design, assessment, sources of artifact and bias, data evaluation and interpretation, and ethical and professional issues raised by research. The 18 chapters of the book take the reader step-by-step in a problem-solving approach through the process of planning and executing clinical research. The book begins by defining and describing the various types of validity and continues by discussing the selection of research problems and designs and the publication and communication of research findings. It covers topics such as drawing valid inferences, control and comparison groups, observational research, the single-case research design, and statistical methods of data evaluation. It offers neat summaries and lists of further readings at the end of each chapter.One of the strengths of this book is the meticulous and unsparing critical discussion of the relative merit and limitations of alternative approaches. Central to Kazdin's thesis is that “drawing valid inferences is not sacrificed when one leaves the methodological comforts of the laboratory. However, thoughtful and creative application of design strategies assumes greater importance to ensure that valid inferences can be identified.”The book is an excellent one. Unlike many books dealing with research methods, this volume is written in an easy style that is a pleasure to read. Examples are interesting and constructive as models. Research Design in Clinical Psychology is highly recommended, particularly to graduate students, beginning investigators, and board candidates. One can read the entire book and become well informed about the complex topic of research design in psychology and psychiatry, or one can use the book as a useful reference to different research methods.by Alan E. Kazdin. Needham Heights, Mass., Allyn & Bacon, 1998, 472 pp., $49.95. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 155Issue 7 July 1998Pages 990a-991 Metrics History Published online 1 July 1998 Published in print 1 July 1998

Typewriter to computer - fifty years of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society's publications

The first National Weeds Conference was held in 1948 at Lincoln College and subsequent conferences were situated at 19 venues throughout New Zealand. In 1950, the Committee decided to publish the proceedings, which encouraged participation and growth of the Society. Quality presentations were assured with the creation of an editorial position and backup from a referee panel. The 50 volumes have provided an insight into the Society’s advances into modern publishing, with regular contributing authors. This review traces the history and publication record of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society and its communication of research findings.

Communication of research findings in peer-reviewed journals: publication bias, timing of publication, conflicting interests and fraud

Communication of research findings in peer-reviewed journals: publication bias, timing of publication, conflicting interests and fraud

Geographic Information System Framework for Modeling Mobile-Source Emissions

Because vehicle activities and the emissions associated with them can be correlated with specific points in time and space, the modeling capabilities of a geographic information system (GIS) are well suited to the modeling of mobile-source emissions. A GIS-based modeling approach can provide emissions estimates for both on-network and off-network vehicle activities on a modal basis (as a function of various vehicle operating modes that significantly affect vehicle emission rates). An entire metropolitan region can be modeled on a zone, link, and point basis. Vehicle subfleet composition can be tracked or estimated and combined with estimates of vehicle activity and characteristic operating modes to provide emissions estimates in a spatial and temporal context. Emissions from various modal activities are aggregated into grid cells to be used as input to an airshed model. Identifying spatial and temporal distributions of these activities adds to a greater understanding of emissions impacts. A research prototype of this modeling concept was produced to illustrate its capabilities and identify difficulties that must be addressed in the development of a fully functional model. The GIS-based displays and hard-copy maps that present the spatial variability of emissions levels help improve the communication of research findings to decision makers and the public. The effort being undertaken at Georgia Institute of Technology in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a next-generation modal emissions model within a GIS framework is described.

Fundamentals of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing Research: Part III

Data analysis, interpretation of data, and communication of research findings are the foci of this third part in a series on the basics of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing research. Examples of published maternal-newborn research are included.

Delays in Publishing Scholarly Journals

An inability to publish issues of journals at the appointed times is a problem common to many scholarly publishers in developing countries. One solution is to accept and announce a delay by dating a new issue with the actual published date. Another problem is the appearance of some issues out of sequence. This may be due to the desire to produce special thematic issues, which can interfere with the rapid communication of research findings and new ideas. It is also important that reviews of new publications appearing in scholarly journals be up-to-date. The implications for scholarship of delays in publication are considered and the importance of dating articles as well as journal issues is emphasized.

Research design in clinical psychology

Preface. 1.Introduction. 2.Drawing Valid Inferences I: Internal and External Validity. 3.Drawing Valid Inferences II: Construct and Statistical Conclusion Validity. 4.Selection of the Research Problem and Design. 5.Experimental Research: Group Designs. 6.Control and Comparison Groups. 7.Assessing the Impact of the Experimental Manipulation. 8.Observational Research: Case-Control and Cohort Designs. 9.The Case Study and Single-Case Research Designs. 10.Qualitative Research Methods. 11.Assessment Methods and Strategies. 12.Special Topics in Assessment. 13.Sources of Artifact and Bias. 14.Statistical Methods of Data Evaluation. 15.Selected Topics in the Interpretation of Data. 16.Ethical Issues and Guidelines for Research. 17.Publication and Communication of Research Findings. 18.Closing Comments: Methodology in Perspective. Glossary. References. Indices.