Choosing the Study Design
Choosing the study design
The choice of the study design depends on the question you are trying to answer.
This is where the research question really assumes great importance.
Clarity of thought on the research question will go a long way in choosing an appropriate design; a lack of focus on the question can lead you to choose an inappropriate design.
A wrongly designed study gives you answers that are not reliable or useful.
Not all designs can answer all questions, Not all questions can be answered by a single design.
Click on each design to read more
| Main theme of question | Study design | Example |
| Want to determine estimates or number of people with a particular condition | Cross sectional study | How many pregnant women have hypertension in India? |
| Want to determine different factors that are associated with a disease | Case control design | What risk factors are associated with Preterm labor? |
| Want to determine causation | Cohort Study | Does exposure to smoking cause recurrent loss of pregnancy ? |
| Want to determine multiple effects of an exposure or different diseases that can arise from an exposure | Cohort Study | What are the effects of chronic smoking in pregnancy? |
| Want to compare interventions (surgical or therapeutic interventions, behavioral interventions etc) | Randomized controlled trials | How does procedure A compare with procedure B in the management of condition X |
