This document discusses types of scholarly articles used in evidence-based practice. It introduces evidence-based practice as using the best available research evidence, clinical expertise and patient values in clinical decision making. It then outlines six types of scholarly articles from highest to lowest quality: systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, case series/reports, and expert opinion/editorials. The back of the handout provides descriptions and purposes of each type of article.

1. Introduction to Health Sciences Literature:
Types of Scholarly Articles
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is “[t]he conscientious,
explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making
decisions about the care of individual patients.”
Also known as evidence-based health care, evidence-based
clinical practice, or evidence-based nursing, EBP “requires integration of individual clinical
expertise and patient preferences with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic
research, and consideration of available resources.”
Source:
DiCenso A, Guyatt G, & Ciliska D. (2005). Evidence-based nursing: A guide to clinical practice. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc.
Successful academic study and professional
practice in healthcare requires the use of the
best available information. This handout
outlines six types of articles commonly
found in health sciences literature.
What is Evidence-
Based Practice?
WhatistheBestEvidence?
Levels of Evidence Pyramid
This pyramid presents 6 types of scholarly articles ordered according to the quality of
research-based evidence it contains.
Scholarly articles in the health sciences have varying formats according to how the
research was designed and conducted, which determines the quality of the evidence.
The highest quality articles are systematic
reviews, while the lowest quality articles
rely on expert opinion.
Systematic
ReviewsDescriptions of each type of
scholarly article are on the
back of this handout.

2. TypesofScholarlyArticles
Sources:
DiCenso A, Guyatt G, & Ciliska D. (2005). Evidence-based nursing: A guide to clinical practice. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc.
Phillips, B., Ball, C., Sackett, D., Badenoch, D., Straus, S., Haynes, B., & Dawes, M. (March, 2009). Oxford Centre for Evidence-
based Medicine - Levels of evidence. Retrieved from http://www.cebm.net/
Article Type Description
Systematic
Review
A systematic review is a summary of the research literature according to
explicit methods. The author(s) search, critically appraise, and synthesize
the results of multiple studies on a specific topic.
A meta-analysis is a particular type of systematic review that attempts to
combine and summarize quantitative data from multiple studies using
sophisticated statistical methodology.
Randomized
Controlled Trials
In this research method, at least two or more groups are formed in order to
study the effectiveness and potential risks of a health intervention or
treatment. At least one group is treated (the experimental group) and at
least one group is not (the control group). Study participants are randomly
assigned in order to reduce potential bias.
Cohort Studies Similar to a randomized control trial (RCT), a cohort study observes two
groups (cohorts) of patients (one that received a treatment or intervention
and one that did not) in order to evaluate the outcomes. However, unlike
an RCT, researchers do not randomly assign or otherwise manipulate the
groups in any way. This is because the purpose is observation, rather than
experimentation.
Case-Control
Studies
This research method attempts to locate the relation between an exposure
and an outcome. Participants with the outcome (cases) are observed and
compared to participants without the outcome (controls). The purpose of the
study is to identify what agent the cases were exposed to that resulted in a
different outcome for the controls.
Case Series,
Case Reports
A case series is a descriptive report on a series of patients with a
particular outcome of interest. No control group is involved and the evidence
is generally weak because it describes a relatively small number of patients.
Case reports are simply descriptive reports of single patients that are
often used to introduce practitioners to unusual and rare conditions, to point
out exceptions to the rule, and to identify areas where research using more
rigorous methods may be needed.
Expert Opinion,
Editorials
While the clinical experience, expertise, and judgment of a respected
healthcare professional is valuable, these types of articles typically use
evidence selectively in order to support an opinion-based and subjective
interpretation. For these reasons, they frequently contain biases and are
not considered peer-reviewed sources.