Surgical Technology (SRGT)

Scholarly articles can be thought of as put together like an inside out Oreo.  The “good stuff” – is on the outside (if your favorite part is the filling of the cookie): the Abstract, Introduction, the Discussion, and the Conclusion.

The “dry stuff” is on the inside of the article: the Methodology and the Results.

Read for basics and relevance first

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Conclusion
• Discussion

Scan the data

• Methods
• Results/Findings

Now reread the entire article and the methods and results will make more sense now that the purpose and conclusions of the research are more familiar to you.

This is a simplified list of possible articles you might encounter in your searches. The list is derived from a concept called Evidence-Based Medicine or Evidence-Based Practice. For more information, please watch this video hosted on YouTube by OvidWoltersKluwer entitled Evidence-Based Practice: Improving Practice, Improving Outcomes.

• A review of several studies providing analysis and how applied to certain circumstances
• Clinical trials - with volunteer or randomly selected participants
• Original research - narratives or numbers
• A literature review of existing studies
• Case reports studies of a single patient or a group of patients
• Guidelines issued by a governing board for use in a clinical setting

The original list forms a hierarchy of evidence, indicating which research is already critically appraised for reliability and applicability.