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Archival Research

Archival Research

Some researchers gain access to large amounts of data without interacting with a single research participant. Instead, they use existing records to answer various research questions. This type of research approach is known as archival research. Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships. For example, a researcher might access the academic records of all individuals who enrolled in college within the past ten years and...

Ethics in Research

Ethics in Research

Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety. However, this has not always been the case. Modern researchers must demonstrate that the research they perform is ethically sound.

Cross-Sectional Research

Cross-Sectional Research

In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time. If they were interested in people's dietary habits, the researcher might directly compare different groups of people by age. Instead of following a group of people for 20 years to see how their dietary habits changed from decade to decade, the researcher would study a group of 20-year-old individuals and compare them to a group of 30-year-old individuals and a group of 40-year-old...

Longitudinal Research

Longitudinal Research

Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...

Surveys

Surveys

Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

When is a research question not a research question?

Nancy E Mayo¹, Miho Asano, Skye Pamela Barbic

¹Division of Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, H3A-1A1, Canada. nancy.mayo@mcgill.ca

Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

|April 11, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Many rehabilitation research questions are poorly formulated, hindering optimal study design and potentially widening the research-practice gap. Improving research question clarity is crucial for advancing scientific knowledge and clinical application.

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Last Updated: May 12, 2026

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Area of Science:

Rehabilitation Science
Medical Research Methodology

Background:

Effective research relies on clearly defined questions, specifying population, exposure, comparison, and outcome.
Optimal research questions focus on knowledge acquisition, not investigator actions or study contributions.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the quality of research question formulation among rehabilitation scientists.
To determine the prevalence of optimally defined research questions in published rehabilitation research.

Main Methods:

A cross-sectional survey analyzed rehabilitation research articles published in 2008.
Two independent raters evaluated research questions against predefined criteria, with a third rater resolving disagreements.

Main Results:

65% of 258 articles presented research questions focused on methods or expected contributions, rather than the knowledge sought.
30% of research questions required revision for optimal formulation.
Randomized trials, cross-sectional, and measurement studies most frequently featured poorly formulated questions.

Conclusions:

Research question formulation is critical and impacts study design, analysis, and results.
Poorly formulated questions can lead to suboptimal research practices.
Clear, complete research questions are essential for bridging the gap between research findings and clinical practice.