STUDY DESIGN ASSIGNMENT - Due by Thursday before 5 PM during the second week (email to section leader)
STUDY DESIGN (1/2 page) ASSIGNMENT
(Note that you will turn in this assignment and the "SUBJECTS AND VARIABLES" assignment at the same time. Incorporate these into the same document as your "RESEARCH QUESTION" assignment before e-mailing the combined document to your section leader. If necessary, revise you earlier "RESEARCH QUESTION" assignment material first to reflect any changes you have made to your study plans since your last section.
First, complete the assigned readings and watch the video lectures for this topic. Note that you can choose to focus on lectures or readings that are most relevant to your proposed study design.
Next, describe your study design in a half a page, amplifying on terms such as cross-sectional, cohort, and randomized blinded trial.
- If your study involves a longitudinal component, be sure to describe the time frame of your study. A schematic diagram with a horizontal time sequence is often useful.
- If your study involves any kind of comparison (as opposed to being purely descriptive), describe the control group. Will the control group be comparable to the intervention group (if you are planning a trial) or to the group with a risk factor of interest (if you are planning an observational study)?
- Describe an alternative study design. That is, propose an alternative to your proposed study design that might more effectively address causality or be more cost-effective or feasible. This is a thought experiment and need not be a design that is feasible for you to pursue at this point. Explain why you are not pursuing this alternative study design.