Examples of Research Studies


Student in stacks looking for a book

What type of Source is it?

  1. " Could A Weight Loss Drug Save You From Stroke? Science's New Discovery, Explained. Links to an external site." From Women’s Health Links to an external site.
  2. "Are the New Weight Loss Drugs Too Good to be True Links to an external site.?" From UCSF Magazine Links to an external site.
  3. Ghusn, W., De la Rosa, A., Sacoto, D., Cifuentes, L., Campos, A., Feris, F., Hurtado, M. D., & Acosta, A. (2022). Weight Loss Outcomes Associated With Semaglutide Treatment for Patients With Overweight or Obesity Links to an external site.. JAMA Network Open Links to an external site., 5(9), e2231982.
  4. Thomsen, R. W., Mailhac, A., Løhde, J. B., & Pottegård, A. (2025). Real-world evidence on the utilization, clinical and comparative effectiveness, and adverse effects of newer GLP-1RA-based weight-loss therapies Links to an external site.. Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism Links to an external site., 27 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), 66–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.16364 Links to an external site.

Questions

  • Is it a short report or an in-depth study?  Is it a popular report for a general audience, or scholarly study for researchers? 
  • Can you identify the authors or publisher? What does that tell you about this source?
  • Does it include references?  Does it describe the study design or methods? Does it talk about how they collected evidence to support their claims?
  • For short reports with no references, does it include links to more in-depth studies?  How might you trace these claims back to the original scholarly studies and evidence?

Reminder:  Types of Research Studies

Case Series and Case Reports 

❒ Case Control Studies

❒ Cohort Studies

❒ Randomized Controlled Studies

❒ Double-Blind Studies

❒ Meta-Analysis

❒ Systematic Review