Reading and Interpreting Scientific Papers presented by Professor Sarah McNaughton, FDAA
More than ever dietitians need to be able to set themselves apart as experts in nutritional science. This means being able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of published research. Just because something has been published it doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
Sarah firstly explained where to find key research papers. She then described the three key questions of critical analysis:
1. What is the methodological quality of the study?
2. Have the results been interpreted appropriately?
3. What is the applicability of results? Can the results be applied to a wider population?
Sarah spoke in detail about the five main study designs (Ecological studies, Cross-sectional studies, Case-control studies, Cohort studies & nested case-control studies, and Randomised Controlled Trials) explaining what format they take, in what research they may be used and their strengths and weaknesses.
Her presentation also covers the following aspects of scientific papers:
- Study bias
- Confounding factors
- Statistical significance
- Publication bias
- Conflicts of interest
- Literature reviews
Sarah is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, nutritional epidemiologist, and a Fellow of the Dietitians Association of Australia. She has an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship based at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University in Melbourne where she is also Discipline Leader for Dietetics.
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