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Abstract
This is the fourth in a series of articles to help readers increase their knowledge, and in the process, enhance their skill and confidence in appraising, synthesizing, interpreting, and ultimately deciding if a given piece of evidence should be incorporated into practice. This article provides an overview of research designs in general, with a focus on quantitative research designs.
Key Words
Evidence-based practice, critical appraisal, research design, quantitative.
This is the fourth in a series of articles to help readers increase their knowledge, and in the process, enhance skill and confidence in appraising, synthesizing, interpreting, and ultimately deciding if a given piece of evidence should be incorporated into practice. This article provides an overview of research designs in general, with a focus on quantitative designs most frequently used in nursing research and published in Urologic Nursing.
What Is a Research Design?
A design (noun) is "the way in which something is planned and made" (Cambridge University Press, n.d.). Study design specifies the overall approach - or roadmap - investigators used in direct response, to the study purpose to answer the research question(s), or test a stated hypothesis or hypotheses. Several key factors are taken into consideration as investigators determine which design they will use in a study; however, it is the stated study purpose, research question(s), or study hypotheses that direct researchers to the design that should be used. The research design selected must be an appropriate 'match' for answering the study purpose, research question(s), or testing research hypotheses (Novosel, 2022).
Several factors are considered and used by investigators as a guide in selecting the most appropriate design for a given study. Key factors include a) whether the study will introduce an intervention or 'exposure,' b) if any comparisons are planned, c), the extent investigators will 'control' extraneous variables, d) the number of time points when data will be collected, and e) the setting in which the research study will take place (Polit & Hungler, 1991).
Urologic Nursing consistently applies the Johns Hopkins Model for Evidence-Based Practice hierarchy of evidence to all research articles published in the journal so readers may identify, with a quick glance, both the level (strength) and quality of evidence. In this article, exemplars are provided for each research...