Methods workbook01
FundamentalsA five-pass checklist for reading a randomised trial
An active reading worksheet that takes you from the research question to a conclusion you can defend.
5 min read · 5 sources
A PRACTICAL CRITICAL-READING WORKBOOK
Open a paper.
Ask better questions.
Build your reading skills.A practical workbook for reading peptide studies: trial checklists, absolute and relative risk, endpoints and missing data.
3 In-depth guides01 Minute to explore100% Source linked
THE RESEARCH FILE
AN ORIGINAL QUESTION
From a promising
idea to a measured
finding.
Mechanism / Study design / Outcome
The Study Reader01 / RESEARCH NOTES
Thoughtful reading starts here.
WORKBOOK 01 / RESEARCH LITERACYINFORMED READING. ORIGINAL SOURCES. OPEN QUESTIONS.
A BETTER WAY TO READ
Make the paper make sense.
A useful research note does not need to be long. It needs to preserve the question, the comparison and the uncertainty. This workbook gives you a repeatable way to turn a dense paper into a short, accurate explanation.
Work through randomisation, the difference between absolute and relative effects, and the decisions hidden inside an endpoint. The examples are reading exercises, not treatment recommendations or predictions about an individual.
Keep a paper open beside the guide. Record the exact population, the chosen outcome and the result with its denominator. Then write one sentence about what remains unanswered. A clear boundary is part of a good answer.
01Name the comparison
02Write the denominator
03State the uncertainty
START WITH ONE
GOOD QUESTION.SRFUNDAMENTALS / 5 MIN READ
GOOD QUESTION.SRFUNDAMENTALS / 5 MIN READ
THE STARTING POINT
A five-pass checklist for reading a randomised trial
Reading a randomised trial becomes easier when you give each pass a different job. On the first pass, you are finding the question. On the next, you are checking how the comparison was organised. Only then do you decide what the results can support. This order keeps a memorable abstract sentence from becoming the answer before you have examined the evidence behind it.
Read the guideTHE READING COLLECTION
3 in-depth guidesYour next reading exercise.
Sources linked in every article
Numbers workbook02
FundamentalsAbsolute and relative change: a worked example with parcels
Use a hypothetical delivery experiment to learn denominators, percentage points and the limits of a dramatic relative claim.
5 min read · 3 sources
Analysis workbook03
FundamentalsEndpoints and the people missing from the chart
Learn how endpoint choice, treatment discontinuation and missing observations shape the question a trial result answers.
5 min read · 5 sources
Read the finding. Follow the source. Keep the limitation.Open the study desk
THREE QUESTIONS TO KEEP ASKINGInteresting science.
Interesting science.
Honest boundaries.
Research becomes more useful when the observation and the interpretation stay connected.
Explore the study deskWhat could happen?
Receptor activity, cell experiments and biological pathways can explain a reason to investigate. They do not by themselves establish a benefit in people.
What was actually measured?
Keep the population, comparator, timeframe and endpoint attached to the result. A number is informative when its context travels with it.
What remains unanswered?
A good explanation names uncertainty. Other populations, longer exposure and different formulations may require separate evidence.
QUESTIONS, IN CONTEXTA clear place
A clear place
to begin.
Short answers, with a longer reading path.
Do I need a science degree?+
No. Begin by identifying the question, population, comparison and outcome. The guides build from these concrete details and link to reporting guidance for deeper reading.
What is the difference between relative and absolute risk?+
Absolute risk describes an event frequency in a group. A relative effect compares frequencies. Both require a timeframe and a denominator to be interpreted well.
Research materials and research evidence answer different questions. Explore our connected brands with that distinction in mind.