Welcome to our User's Guide to Research Methods!
Research plays an important role in the field of health, as it helps us understand the how and why of maintaining good health and preventing disease. It also provides evidence for healthcare policies and decision-making. Progress in the health sciences depends on people's ability to find, curate, create, critically analyze, synthesize, and evaluate research. A fundamental understanding of research methodology will help you be able to interpret study results, and determine the quality of the research that you read about every day. Research in the field of health is vast and can include topics related to health policies and systems, epidemiology, child health and development, domestic violence, mental health and well-being, social, psychological and behavioral aspects of health, illness, and well-being.
While generating knowledge is one purpose of research, there are other ways in which research can influence our thoughts and actions. For example, as practitioners, research can help us find the best ways of intervening and working with our clients (a guide). It can also help us decide whether our approaches to intervention are working, and help us to be sophisticated consumers of a growing body of knowledge in health and health care.
This website features a selection from many available research methods and has been created by Athabasca University's Master's degree students in the Faculty of Health Disciplines as a requirement for their Facilitating Inquiry course. We hope to assist you in your learning experience.
MHST/NURS 603, Summer 2022