Theme 1 - science informed policy, healthcare and decision making

Question 1

what are the 4 steps in conducting an experiment?

Answer 1

1. make a hypothesis
2. plan and conduct the experiment
3. analyse the data
4. draw a conclusion

Question 2

what is the n number and what is the point of it?

Answer 2

its the sample size and allows for results to be more representative of the whole population

Question 3

why are samples and controls needed?

Answer 3

-biology has an inherent variability in its data hence a sample allows statistical analysis
-controls allow us to know the true cause of the effect to prevent false conclusions

Question 4

what is a scientific/ medical manuscript (also called a paper)?

Answer 4

a novel result or collections of ideas that have gone through peer review and been published in a journal

Question 5

what is the IF value?

Answer 5

its the impact factor of a journal and allows the journals to be ranked by prestige. high IF value of a journal means it has been referenced a lot

Question 6

why are controls needed in an experiment?

Answer 6

to minimize the effects of other variables so that the changes can be attributed to the independent variable

Question 7

what do journals do?

Answer 7

they handle the publishing of the work they get given and cost money paid for by research grants of unis, typically open access

Question 8

what are the advantages of papers?

Answer 8

-allows new ways of treating patients to be developed
-allows for new ideas for researchers to built on the papers knowledge
-provides opportunity and info for collaborators in networking and also for employers

Question 9

what are the types of scientific papers?

Answer 9

-primary research articles
-literature reviews

Question 10

what are the features of primary research articles?

Answer 10

-researchers test a hypothesis using a series of experiments and then publish their results
-follows IMRAD format of intro, method, results and discussion
-involves experiments and clinical trials that take years to complete

Question 11

what does a literature review do? what are it’s features?

Answer 11

it provides an overview about a field or a particular question within the field
-includes a large number of references
-best way of answering a scientific question
-the evidence of a literature review makes the basis of most decisions in a professional setting

Question 12

what is the structure of a primary research article?

Answer 12

-introduction: general overview of the field, what are the unanswered questions and what will this study be addressing
-methods: detailed breakdown of what was done, enough that it can be repeated
-results: data obtained in the study, presented in an objective, not subjective manner
-discussion: what do the results mean(can be subjective) and how do they fit the bigger picture

Question 13

How are literature reviews structured?

Answer 13

1. introduction
2. discussion
3. conclusion

Question 14

what does the intro of a literature review contain?

Answer 14

-background/ overview of the field
-aims of the literature and the questions it seeks to answer

Question 15

what does the discussion of a literature review contain?

Answer 15

-critique of the literature and comparisons between the studies
-freedom in how this section is formatted but in general, is separated into sensible headings and subheadingsw

Question 16

What does the conclusion of the literature review contain?

Answer 16

-summary of the main findings from reviewing the literature
-postulate on the trajectory of the field and relevant future studies

Question 17

what are the steps to reading a scientific paper?

Answer 17

1. start w the intro
2. skip the methods
3. read through the results
4. go back to methods only if you have certain questions to answer such as sample size

Question 18

What is the purpose of a literature review?

Answer 18

an in depth way of critically reviewing all available studies and data so helps clear up misinformation that can be online