This course is suitable for PhD students in their first year of their PhD programme. It will provide a basic understanding of aspects that are important when planning and conducting a clinical study, including clinical epidemiology and register studies.
The course will:
- Inform about the common research designs and emphasise the differences between them
- Cover the elements that are common for all designs (usually: research questions, study material, observations, and statistical analysis)
- Explain the additional elements relevant to different study designs and their different ‘needs’, e.g. the differences between observational studies vs. association studies, cross-sectional vs. prospective studies, cohort studies vs. comparative studies
- Discuss aspects of importance for external and internal validity of data, e.g. representativeness, random allocation, types of bias, validity of data, and transparent data reporting.
The course format is information, group work, and discussions.
Participants will obtain an understanding of the common research designs used in clinical studies and an insight into various elements necessary to include in the study design and reporting to ensure validity of the study results.
1.2 ECTS