Each different research method has important characteristics to help make the results reliable and valid. It is important that research is well planned, designed and executed to answer the question which has been asked.
Correct statements
- Good research will have a clearly focused question
- Good research will have adequate numbers of participants to provide a reliable answer
- Because individual stroke patients differ greatly, stroke research often requires very large numbers of participants to give a reliable answer
- Good research will define the methods that will be used before the study starts
Incorrect statements
- A study with one or two patients can be enough to give a definitive answer to a question
- Research should always be done in academic settings
- Person-centred interventions can only be tested using case-studies
Page last reviewed: 14 May 2020
