Introduction to primary literature

what are primary literatures?

written accounts of author's original thought or discovery directly derived from first-hand observation or research

what does the primary literature introduce?

introduces new evidence into existing body of scientific knowledge

where is primary literature commonly published?

medical-health related journals

posters presented at conferences

are all literature published in journals primary literature?

no

what is primary literature defined by? what is it not defined by?

-Defined by: its content

-Not defined by: manner or place of publication

what are examples of primary literature?

-randomized control studies

-cohort studies

-case series

-case reports

8 sections of primary literature article

-title/authors

-abstract

-introduction

-methods

-results

-discussion

-conclusion

-references

Abstract does what?

-gives overview of important aspects in the article

-allows reader to determine if they want to continue reading the article

what is a giant warning for abstracts?

do NOT rely on abstract alone when reading primary literature

Introduction does what?

-gives background info and rationale for the research

-study objectives

Methods sections does what?

-describes how the study was conducted

1.study design

2. patient selection/ recruitment process

3. interventions used and process for use

4. how endpoints were measured

5. how data was collected

6. Planned statistical analysis

results section does what?

-shows description of data/findings

-statistical analysis of data

discussion section does what?

-author's interpretation of the results and the impact of the study

-comparison to other studies

-trial strength and limitation

-suggested direction for the future

conclusion section does what?

-summary of what authors feel is the ultimate impact of the study

Advantages of primary literature

-original, current and cutting-edge

-detailed info

-open for reader's own assessment of validity and applicability of study results

disadvantages of primary literature

-conclusion based on one trial may be misleading without context of other research

-reader must have good literature evaluation skills

-time consuming

-costly+ difficult to obtain

Two types of medical journals

1. General focus

2. Specialty focus

General focus medical journal

- covers a variety of disciplines and medical conditions

specialty focus medical journal

covers specific medical conditions, organ systems or patient populations

Factors which increase the reputability and credibility of a journal

-peer review

-editorial board

-accept correspondence

-affiliated with a professional organization

-low advertisement to text ratio

what does it mean if a journal has high advertisement?

low quality journal

Impact factor

average number of times the article in journal was cited during a period of time

what does a high impact factor indicate?

greater scientific influence