Week 4

Question 1

What scientific studies require ethics approval?

Answer 1

Studies that require ethics approval include:

• Any research involving human or animal participants
• Clinical trials
• Case reports (require informed patient consent, even if anonymized)
• Surveys or interview-based studies
• Audits (require anonymisation and possibly an ERB waiver)

Studies that usually do not require ethics approval:

• Narrative/literature reviews
• Editorials or commentaries

Question 2

What is a conflict of interest (COI)?

Answer 2

A conflict of interest is any relationship or situation that may affect—or be perceived to affect—a researcher’s ability to conduct or interpret research objectively.

Question 3

Examples of Conflict of interest

Answer 3

Financial interests (e.g., funding from a pharmaceutical company)

Personal gain (career advancement, ownership in company)

Professional affiliations

Question 4

What is an impact factor (IF)?

Answer 4

An impact factor is a measure of how often, on average, the articles published in a journal are cited over a specific period.

Higher IF = Journal is considered more influential or prestigious

Calculated based on the number of citations and number of recent articles

Can be manipulated (e.g., through self-citation)

Question 5

What is a double-blind peer review process?

Answer 5

In a double-blind peer review:

Reviewers do not know the authors’ identities

Authors do not know who is reviewing their manuscript

PURPOSE:
To reduce bias based on author’s name, institution, gender, or nationality

Promotes objectivity and fairness in evaluating submissions

Question 6

What is the cardinal sin of any journal article?

Answer 6

The cardinal sin:
Making claims in the Discussion or Conclusion that go beyond what the data supports.

This is known as overreaching or exceeding the data set.

Question 7

What are the sections of a manuscript?

Answer 7

Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion

Question 8

What is the purpose of each section of a manuscript?

Answer 8

Introduction:
Outlines the problem or research question

States the objective, purpose, and scope

Acts as a “hook” to draw reader interest

Methods:
Details how the study was conducted

Describes:
Study design
Sample size and participant characteristics
Intervention(s)
Outcome measures

Results:
Presents the findings

Includes:

Participant demographics
Key data points
Statistical outputs
Tables, charts, graphs