Record Reviews and Historical Studies

How research is designed is important to its validity.  In research, and particularly government funded research, the Institutional Review Board is the authority on

requirements for research design.

DHHS, Institutional Review Board Guidebook. Chapter 4:  Considerations of Research Design
A. Introduction
F. Case-Control StudiesB. Observation
G. Prospective StudiesC. Record Reviews and Historical Studies
H. Clinical TrialsD. Surveys, Questionnaires, and Interviews
I. Identification and Recruitment of SubjectsE. Epidemiologic Studies
J. Assignment of Subjects to Experimental and Control GroupsFour common research designs used in epidemiological studies are cohort, case control, longitudinal, and

cross-sectional studies.  However, there are also prospective and retrospective, quantitative, qualitative and quasi (mixed) research designs.  Data is what drives

medical research and its design.  Medical research drives scientific findings that ultimately result in improving human health.  All of the various research study

designs that fall into either descriptive or analytical epidemiology.

All research studies fall into either descriptive or analytical epidemiology.

1.    What are those study designs and how are they defined?
2.    What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of the designs you have defined?
Be sure in your initial response to provide at least two examples from peer reviewed literature that further clarify or illustrate your response (write 5-6 sentence

summaries for each article).

Note:  One outside source and the textbook source Textbooks: Fleming, S. T. (2008). Managerial epidemiology: Concepts and cases (2nd ed.).Chicago, IL: Health

Administration Press. ISBN 13: 978-1-56793-292-8