UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS OF CRITICAL READING

Patricia M Shevlin, Julia M Brown, A Vivenne Webb
Yorkshire Clinical Trials and Research Unit, Leeds, Arthington House, Hospital Lane, Leeds LS16 6QB, UK

Objective: There may be differences in the depth of critical reading undertaken of funding applications and papers in published literature. At the funding application stage a reviewer should appraise the design critically and identify possible biases and problems within the study. In the results presented and pays little attention to other aspects of the study. If this is the case, then peer review of biomedical publications for scientific validity is of prime importance.

Design: Two published papers with design and reporting flaws were selected from the literature. Using only information from these papers, a standard application form for funding was completed as though funding were being sought. All 16 participants on a research methodology course were randomized, using a simple randomization schedule, into 1 of 4 equally sized groups. Each group discussed and reviewed the published paper from 1 study and the grant application from the other, in a predefined order using a semi-structured form.

Results: There appeared to be more emphasis placed on the design of a study when a funding application was being reviewed. In addition the study design and choice of end points were more likely to provoke questioning. However, issues such as inappropriate methods of randomization, justification of sample size, and potential biases, were identified in both funding application and published paper.

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