Lecture 1

What is the point?

• when does aging start?
• how do you know what is due to ageing, and what is due to disease?

Coursework

• Critical review of a research paper
• there is a practice attempt. Read the other paper before the tutorials in week 4 and discuss with others

Critical Appraisal

• this about which terms you use to search for. eg. aging in us, ageing in uk. Some papers might not
• look at review papers and look at their references. These are very good for getting an overview of the area
• be aware that some websites may be sponsored by drug companies and may be biased
• Look at methods section - how was it done?
• Is this a good study?
• there is no perfect study as things must be compromised because of feasibility
• need to consider strengths as well
• Is the backgound adequately described? -who is it targeted at?
• is there a good rationale?
• is it relevant to the study?
• is the aim clearly stated?
• is the aim testable?

Experimental designs

• Survey: obtains descriptive data about a population
• cross sectional study: can tell you about differences between groups. Cannot determine causation however.
• cohort/longitudinal study: looking at same group of people over time
• intervention study: identifies the effects of an intervention. Compared a placebo group with a

Methods

• Is recruitment appropriate to obtain a representative sample
• has the sample size been justified?
• are the methods appropriate for what is being tested?
• is what is being tested the key measure that should be taken?
• are there better measures or factors available?
• are the measurements valid and reliable?
• are statistics being used described?
• are they appropriate?
• has a control group been used? is it appropriate?

Results

• is the sample described?
• are the necessary results presented to address the aims?
• have the results been presented clearly?
• has statistical significance been assessed using appropriate tests?
• could there be any confounding effects? eg. weight gain in bone study
• do graphs show error bars
• look at whether people have been selective in their presentation of results
• dont assume what is described in aims about who they study wants to look at
• who is included, who is excluded?
• what was their average age?

Discussion

• are the findings clearly summarised?
• does not go through every little detail
• should make some conclusions
• are those conclusions justified?
• are they considered in context of previous knowledge?
• have they ignored any findings? is there any important factors that have been ignores
• have they acknowledged any limitations?

Conclusion

• which are the key issues that impact of a research paper