It is quite different to read a scientific paper than to read an article in a newspaper or blog about science. For starters, you should read medical studies when you are fully awake and can concentrate on the material.
In a research paper, you must not only read the sections in the order they were presented but also take notes and read it multiple times. It can take you quite a while to read a single paper.
Patience is key.
As you gain more experience, the comprehension process will go faster.
As you read the study, imagine yourself explaining it to your friends or family members. Teaching others is another great way to learn. This will help you to remember details.
Nearly all research published in peer-reviewed health journals can be found by searching MEDLINEPlus, a database available through PubMed.
PubMed offers study abstracts, which are structured summaries that provide key information about the research design and major results.
Note: Access to the full article may require payment.
We include a link to the entire article if you are reading a medical study on the HFHP website.
Another excellent source of research is the Cochrane Database of Reviews. The Cochrane Collaboration compiles systematic reviews of the most important research on the safety and effectiveness of medical and health interventions. Online, you can find abstracts and plain-language summaries of the reviews.
People are increasingly able to access research studies and other professional publications, such as clinical guidelines, via open-access journals, public access articles, or by requesting articles at a library. A librarian can search for you and show you how to best make use of databases.
If you don’t have the time or desire to visit your local library, the HFHP team encourages you to refer to our favorite place to find the most recent trichotillomania research.
Google Scholar is a free, fast, and simple tool that we often use. You can also set alerts on Google Scholar to inform you when new research is published on a topic.
What’s not to love about that?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that when listening to or reading reports about new medical findings, it is important to be objective. Some questions that can help you evaluate health information include:
- Did the study involve animals or humans?
- Is the study inclusive of people like you?
- What was the size of the study?
A study with 10 participants is much less conclusive than one that evaluated 10,000. That said, due to the nature of TTM and the limited research on this topic, it is very common for related medical studies to include less than 100 participants. - Was it a randomized controlled clinical trial? What type of study was it?
- Where was the research done?
- Were there any side effects if a new treatment was being tried?
- Who paid for the research? Do the study authors have any conflicts of interest?
- Who reported the results?
- How credible is the medical journal or source that the article is published in?
After reading a few studies, you’ll notice how they are structured predictably into five sections:
- Abstract,
- Introduction,
- Methods,
- Results, and
- Discussion.
Some researchers recommend reading the Methods and Results section first, while others recommend beginning with the Abstract.
An abstract is the first part of a research paper. It summarizes the study’s purpose and results while highlighting the conclusions. This is the main part of the study that we share on HFHP, with links to the full study for further reading.
The introduction to the article outlines the problem and reviews existing research. After that, researchers should include a section on methods that describes how the study was conducted, such as how participants were recruited and tested and how data were processed.
The results section often includes tables, graphs, and charts.
Researchers will indicate whether statistically significant differences exist between two or more groups if the study compares them. This means that they are likely to be related to the intervention or behavior being examined.
The article will conclude with a discussion section, which reviews the main findings and discusses the strengths as well as the limitations of the study. It also makes recommendations for future research and changes in practice.
It is important to pay attention to the methods and results sections.
Abstracts and discussions may emphasize the authors’ interpretations and opinions, instead of the actual findings. Sometimes, statements made by authors in these sections might not be supported in full by the results and methods sections.
AI tools like ChatGPT can simplify complex clinical data by translating technical jargon into plain English, making research more accessible.
To do this, copy a section of the study and paste it into ChatGPT with a clear request, such as, "Please simplify this paragraph about trichotillomania for someone unfamiliar with medical terminology."
ChatGPT will generate a concise, easy-to-understand summary that retains the key points. You can also ask follow-up questions, like "What does [specific term] mean?" or "Can you explain this study’s conclusion in one sentence?"
This step-by-step approach helps you digest and apply clinical findings without needing advanced medical knowledge.
Would you like to help improve the body of scientific knowledge on trichotillomania by sharing your own experiences as a medical or research study participant?
ClinicalTrials.gov is a place to learn about clinical studies from around the world.
This is a searchable registry and results database of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world.
ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.
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