Berg Anne T
Department of Biology, NIU, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA.
Epilepsia. 2007 Dec;48(12):2204-16. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.01312.x.
Clinical and epidemiological research studies are essential to advancing our understanding of human health conditions such as epilepsy. To be of value, studies must not only address important questions, they must do so in such a way as to contribute usefully to existing knowledge. Comprehensive understanding of the subject matter is only one component of successful research and research reports. A firm grasp of research methods and statistical issues and a scholarly command of the relevant and current literature are essential components to high-quality research. No single study, however, is perfect nor can any single study definitively answer a given single research question. Studies must be designed and evaluated in light of historical, scientific, pragmatic, and ethical realities that may constrain them. Selected but essential methodological and statistical concepts are discussed along with the need to balance innovation and novelty against methodological rigor.
临床和流行病学研究对于增进我们对癫痫等人类健康状况的理解至关重要。为了具有价值，研究不仅必须解决重要问题，还必须以对现有知识做出有益贡献的方式来进行。对主题的全面理解只是成功研究和研究报告的一个组成部分。对研究方法和统计问题的牢固掌握以及对相关和当前文献的学术掌握是高质量研究的重要组成部分。然而，没有一项研究是完美的，也没有任何一项研究能够明确回答一个给定的单一研究问题。研究必须根据可能限制它们的历史、科学、务实和伦理现实来设计和评估。本文将讨论一些选定但必不可少的方法和统计概念，以及在创新和新颖性与方法严谨性之间取得平衡的必要性。
