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Understanding Clinical Papers
Fourth Edition
David Bowers
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
Allan House
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
David Owens
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
Bridgette Bewick
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
This edition first published 2021
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Edition History John Wiley & Sons (3e,2013)
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The right of David Bowers, Allan House, David Owens and Bridgette Bewick to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
Names: Bowers, David, 1938– author. | House, Allan, author. | Owens, David, 1954– author. | Bewick, Bridgette, author.
Title: Understanding clinical papers / David Bowers, Allan House, David Owens, Bridgette Bewick.
Description: Fourth edition. | Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020024728 (print) | LCCN 2020024729 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119573166 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119572855 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119573142 (epub)
Subjects: MESH: Medical Writing–standards | Journalism, Medical | Reading
Classification: LCC R119 (print) | LCC R119 (ebook) | NLM WZ 345 | DDC 808.06/661–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020024728 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020024729
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Images: row of samples © Andrew Brookes/Getty Images, Stethoscope and digital tablet © Jamie Grill/Getty Images, Complete heart block © Keetapong Pongtipakorn/Shutterstock
Preface to the First Edition
Buy this book if you are a health‐care professional and you want some guidance in understanding the clinical research literature. It is designed to help you with reading research papers, by explaining their structure and the vocabulary they use. These essential first steps will make interpretation of clinical research that much easier for you. For example, the book will help with questions like:
Who were the authors, what is their standing, and can they be trusted?
What question or questions did they want to answer, and what was the clinical importance of doing so?
Who were the subjects in the study, how were they chosen, and were the methods used the most suitable?
How were the data collected? Was this the best approach?
What methods did the authors use to analyse the data, and were the methods employed appropriate?
What did they find? Were their conclusions consistent with their results?
Were there any shortcomings in the study? Do the authors acknowledge them?
What
