A Practical Guide for Health Researchers

Book excerpt: Health researchers, the intended audience of this book, are not limited to scientists pursuing a research career. They include health professionals, administrators, policymakers and non-governmental organizations, among others, who can and should use the scientific method to guide their work for improving the health of individuals and communities. Even if they do not pursue much research themselves, they need to grasp the principles of the scientific method, to understand the value and also the limitations of science, and to be able to assess and evaluate results of research before applying them. This book includes the following chapters: Introduction and overview; ethics in health research; what research to do; planning the research; writing the research protocol; submitting a research proposal; implementing the research project; describing and analysing the research results; communicating research; guidelines on writing a scientific paper; publishing a scientific paper; guidelines on making a scientific presentation; assessing and evaluating research.