13S111: Critical Eye: How to Interpret Findings from Scientific Papers

Sunday, November 13, 2022

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Eastern Time

Location: Room 119

CE: 1

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for faculty have been mitigated.

Moderator(s)

Hiral Master, PhD, PT, MPH, MPT

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose

In this session, we will describe the steps necessary to reading and understanding a scientific research paper. We will review the important elements to pay attention to, the typical organization of a paper, and tips for interpretation. We will also provide an introduction to understanding the statistics and the meaning of statistical significance.

Learning Objectives:

Identify and assess appropriateness of the following: the overall goal of the paper, the specific questions, and the approach
Provide tips for understanding the statistics, including how to read tables, graphs, and charts, and use of the term “significant”
Comprehend the results: Do the results answer the specific questions? What do the authors think the results mean? and What are clinical or future implications?

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 8:20 AM Eastern Time

Making Sense of the Statistics
Speaker: Michael LaValley, PhD – Boston University School of Public Health
8:20 AM – 8:40 AM Eastern Time

How to Read a Scientific Paper
Speaker: Alyssa Dufour, PhD – Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife
8:40 AM – 9:00 AM Eastern Time

Q&A