This course includes three modules explaining how to start a study with the right study design, exploring the main designs in health research. These may be descriptive or analytic, observational or interventional, and quantitative or qualitative (or both).
In the methods sections of a study protocol or research paper, authors must be able to show how and why the study design is the best possible way to answer the research question. This course demonstrates how to do this with the aid of reporting guidelines such as the CONSORT (consolidated standards of reporting trials) and STROBE (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) statements.
Choosing the best study design