Abstract:

The purpose of this article is to present the concepts involved in reader evaluation of research literature. Knowledge gained through research is valuable only if it is shared with others. It is the duty of the members of a profession to critically review their professions literature, challenge claims that seem unreasonable and champion those that elevate the profession. Better patient care and increased professional growth will result when clinicians learn to evaluate and make use of the research literature. The essential elements of a research article are the title, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion and conclusion. The introduction should contain the following elements: statement of the problem, literature review, purpose and expected results (hypothesis). The method should define the subjects, instrumentation and apparatus, procedure, and data analysis. The data analysis is divided into statistical tests for continuous data and discrete data. The results section should succinctly present the results with no interpretation of their meaning. The discussion is where the knowledge and insight of the author(s) are allowed to bloom. This article identifies the polarization between clinician and researcher, and readers are enjoined to help educate both callings of the O&P profession. The profession will be elevated with the development of research-oriented clinicians and clinically oriented researchers.