Midterm Study Guide (Biomedical Rearch)se

Steps of the Scientific Method

Hypothesis, experiment, analysis, and conclusion

hypothesis

A testable explanation for an observation

The main goal of translational research is to:

Apply basic science findings to develop methods or products to improve clinical practice

Making an observation

Which step of the scientific method typically comes first?

What distinguishes clinical research from basic science research?

It involves human participants

Compare results against a baseline

A control group is used in an experiment t

Basic Research 

understanding mechanisms and processes

Translational

applying lab discoveries to human models

Clinical

testing safety and effectiveness in people

Reduce bias in assignment of subject

In an experiment, randomization is used to

Replication

what is a key feature of the scientific method

Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

Evaluates the ethical conduct of research involving human participants

Dependent Variable

The one that is being measured in the experiment

Blinding 

method to reduce bias by hiding treatment groups from the researcher collecting the data.

Hypothesis

a prediction based on prior knowledge and observation.

Researcher Bias

occurs when researchers unintentionally influence the outcome.

Clinical Research

Involves testing treatments in human subjects

Basic Research

Fundamental exploration of biological processes

Control group

Used as a baseline for comparison

Translational Research

Applies lab findings to clinical settings

Independent Variable 

The variable that is manipulated 

What does IMRaD stand for

Introduction, methods, results, and discussion

Introduction

section of a scientific paper typically contains the research hypothesis

Future research directions

DIscussion part of the paper has

Methods

If you are interested in repeating an experiment described in a paper, the best section to consult is:

Which of the following is NOT typically part of the peer review process

Reviewers co-author the manuscript

What does Impact Factor measure

The number of citations a journal receives on average over 2 years

What is the best description of a journal club?

A group meeting to critique recent research articles

If two error bars in a graph overlap significantly, it most likely suggests

the results are not statistically different

Methods

section of the paper tells you what the researchers did in their experiments.

Research article 

presents new data, methods, and results from an original study

Results

section of a scientific paper describes what the researchers discovered without interpreting the findings

DIscussion

Interpretation of results and future directions