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Becoming a user of scientific & medical research

To become a competent user of scientific and medical research resources like PubMed, it's essential to develop critical reading skills and understand how to evaluate the validity and relevance of research articles. Here are some key points and resources to help you achieve this:

Understanding the Structure of Research Articles

  1. IMRAD Structure: Research articles typically follow the IMRAD structure, which includes Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Understanding this structure helps in systematically evaluating an article[2][3].

Evaluating Articles

  1. Systematic Approach: Start by reading the abstract and conclusions to decide if the article is worth reading in full. This approach helps in filtering out irrelevant or poorly conducted studies[2][4].
  2. PP-ICONS Approach: Use the PP-ICONS method to evaluate the validity and relevance of clinical articles. This acronym stands for Problem, Patient or population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, Number of subjects, and Study design[4].
  3. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is crucial when evaluating research. Ask questions like what the authors want to know, what they did, why they did it that way, what the results show, how the authors interpreted the results, and what should be done next[3].

Resources for Learning

  1. Users' Guide to the Medical Literature: JAMA's Users' Guide to the Medical Literature collection provides foundational knowledge on understanding and interpreting clinical research, including how to evaluate study designs and outcomes[5].
  2. PubMed Tutorials: PubMed offers tutorials and guides on how to search and evaluate medical literature effectively, which can be a valuable resource for learning[1].

Best Practices

  1. Focus on High-Quality Studies: Prioritize systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as these are considered the gold standard in medical research[4][5].
  2. Stay Updated: Regularly update your knowledge by following reputable sources and using alerts for new publications in your area of interest[3][5].

By following these guidelines and utilizing the recommended resources, you can become a more competent and responsible user of scientific and medical research on PubMed, ensuring that your conclusions and actions are based on accurate and reliable information.

#### Citations

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3687192/ [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7392212/ [4] https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2004/0500/p47.html [5] https://jamanetwork.com/collections/44069/users-guide-to-the-medical-literature [6] https://www.migrantclinician.org/streamline/best-practices-interpretation