University of Nottingham

This resource looks at cohort studies in relation to medical research and investigates medical disease and establishes links between risk factors and health outcomes. 

Outlining the distinction between qualitative and quantitative methods of doing research.

This resource explains study design and looks at the situations in which you might apply the different types of design methodology. 

This resource looks at Randomised Control Trials (RCT). Generally in a randomised controlled trial, study participants are randomly assigned or randomised to one of two groups: the experimental group receiving the intervention that is being tested and the comparison group (control) which receives a conventional treatment or placebo. These groups are then followed prospectively to assess the effectiveness of the intervention compared with the standard treatment or control. 

Case series typically involve a much smaller number of patients than the more powerful case-control study or Randomised controlled trial (RCT). In this design patients with a known exposure to a treatment are tracked prospectively to identify new forms of disease or adverse effects. Case series can also be retrospective - here medical records are examined to identify a link between exposure and disease.