Your Article's Research Study Design

Once you have found an article on your topic, take a moment to review your article and see if you can identify what type of research study it is:  

  • Case Series and Case Reports
  • Case Control Studies
  • Cohort Studies
  • Randomized Controlled Studies
  • Double-Blind Studies
  • Meta-Analysis
  • Systematic Review

Identifying how the research study was designed will help you understand the kind of information they collected and what kind of evidence this article offers.  This information can usually be found in the abstract or methods section:

The methods section of an abstract with the type of study (systematic review) highlighted.

Some databases, such as PubMed, also allow you to search by type of study:

Filters for types of study, including Clinical Study, Clinical Trial, Meta-Analysis, Randomized Controlled Trial, Review, and Systematic Review

Now You Try

  • Look at the abstract or methods section of your article.
  • See if you can identify what type of research study is being described in your article.