Biology Scientific Paper Assignment

Primary sources in biology are empirical (report research through observable testing), often published in journals, and usually include standardized sections (Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References).

Primary sources in the health sciences include, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and randomized controlled trials which will include Methods and Results. For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the articles will also include criteria for study inclusion. 

A systematic review summarizes the results of available carefully designed healthcare studies (controlled trials) and provides a high level of evidence on the effectiveness of healthcare interventions.

A Meta-analysis is a research process used to systematically synthesize or merge the findings of single, independent studies, using statistical methods to calculate an overall or ‘absolute’ effect.

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis are considered to be the highest quality evidence on a research topic because their study design reduces bias and produces more reliable findings.

A Randomized Controlled Trial is a quantitative, comparative, controlled experiment in which investigators study two or more interventions in a series of individuals who receive them in random order and is one of the simplest and most powerful tools in clinical research.