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In this issue, Brown and co-authors (2023) reported on a study of smoking and ocular problems in older veterans. As part of this report, the authors addressed Recommendations for Future Research near the end of the article. Other journals may include this information in the discussion section. This is a section of any research report that may not get a lot of attention from readers but is worth a serious look. In addition, not much is written about this section in textbooks on research. This column addresses the importance for readers as well as for researchers of the recommendations for future studies.
Purpose of This Section
Authors should examine honestly the study they have conducted as well as the current research in the literature. Recommendations for future research should reflect problems identified in early sections of the article. For example, Brown and colleagues (2023) indicated in their discussion section the cross-sectional nature of their study did not allow causality to be implied because findings showed a lower percentage of diabetic retinopathy among smokers compared to non-smokers. In their recommendations for future research, they indicated future prospective studies...