- Briefly describe the scientific method (you may have to Google it). What are the main characteristics of the scientific method, as mentioned in this chapter, that contribute to the reliability and dependability of research data and results?
The scientific method is essentially just being very skeptical of everything you hear which is what leads to research and experimentation. According to the chapter, research has many different problems. To avoid the misuse or misunderstanding of research, serious skepticism must be used when being presented with research.
- What are some ways that surveys or questionnaires can be unreliable? What are some things to look for to verify the reliability of survey information?
Some surveys are reliable, but it all depends survey to survey. Some of them can be unreliable in the way that they have a preconceived bias and are prying for a more preferred response from the survey taker. I think the easiest way to verify the reliability of a survey is to look at the questions being asked. If there are leading words that try to point to a certain answer, then the results from those surveys should be void.
- What are some pros and cons of research studies? Explain how some research findings can be problematic.
Research studies are often taken as fact, but this is not always true. Sometimes finding can contradict each other. So even though their procedures both seem to check out, the results can be opposite which means there is no “fact” quite yet. A pro of research studies is that it provides evidence from experimentation that someone who does not access have laboratories would not be able to carry out.
- What are three questions you can use to evaluate research studies? Where (in an article) should you look to find answers to these questions?
The first is asking questions about the quality of the source of the report. To answer this, you can look at the author’s credentials and what background they have in the area of study. Another question is if the findings have been replicated in other studies. This can be done by looking up the same, specific research topic and reading up on similar articles. Finally, another question is if there is other clues that the research was done well. Recognizing this will come from actually reading the entire article and trying to identify the procedure and any problems could have arose by using that specific method.
- Find a scholarly, peer-reviewed research article to use for Short Formal Assignment 4: Scholarly Article Analysis. Skim through the article to prepare for Assignment 4. Write (or copy and paste) the APA citation for the article here.
Melloni, C., Dunning, A., Granger, C. B., Thomas, L., Khouri, M. G., Garcia, D. A., … Lopes, R. D. (2017). Efficacy and Safety of Apixaban Versus Warfarin in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and a History of Cancer: Insights from the ARISTOTLE Trial. The American Journal of Medicine, 130(12), 1440–1448. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.06.026