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Which study type is that? A guide to study types

Study and experiment types for Health Sciences and Medicine

Intervention studies

Intervention studies

An intervention study and an experimental study are often closely related terms in research, particularly in the fields of health and medicine, but they can have slightly different connotations. An intervention study typically focuses on the application of a treatment or action to observe its effect, whereas an experimental study is a broader term that refers to research involving controlled conditions to test specific hypotheses.

 

Searching for intervention studies

 

Adding another search line with keywords or phrases directly related to a study type will help narrow results and is one way of finding the study type you are interested in.
 

Some of the keywords related to intervention studies might include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Clinical trial - cross-over - intervention study - experimental study - comparative study - trial

Example:

  • obesity AND experimental study
  • dermatitis AND trial

 

 

 

Subject headings are standard descriptions used by databases to help with searching. They will differ across databases but help to retrieve articles on a topic, even if different words are used in the text.

Subject headings should be investigated within each database but some examples for intervention or experimental studies may include:
 

  • Medline (Ovid) - Clinical Study/ - exp Clinical Trial/ - Randomized Controlled Trial/
     
  • Embase (Ovid) - exp clinical trial/ - randomized controlled trial/ - equivalence trial/ - non-inferiority trial/ - superiority trial/
     
  • CINAHL - (MH "Clinical Trials") - (MH "Randomized Controlled Trials") - (MH "Equivalence Trials") - (MH "Experimental Studies") - (MH "Factorial Design")
     

Learn more about Subject Headings

 

 

 

Some databases include advanced search options that allow you to limit your results to certain study or publication types. 

  • Medline (Ovid):
    Additional Limits > Publication Types > Select from Adaptive Clinical Trial, Clinical Study, Clinical Trial, All, Clinical Trial, Phase I - IV, Controlled Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial
     
  • Embase (Ovid):
    Additional Limits > Clinical Trials > Select from options
     
  • PsycInfo (Ovid)
    Additional Limits > Methodology > Select from options
 

 

Search filters are pre-made search strategies designed to retrieve specific results from databases including different study types. They can sometimes be very complex multi-line searches that you can add to your existing search strategy and then combine with AND.

Careful consideration is required when using search filters to ensure they meet specific needs.
 

  • ISSG Filters for Randomized Controlled Trials and Other Trials Link
     
  • Lefebvre C, Glanville J, Briscoe S, Littlewood A, Marshall C, Metzendorf M-I, Noel-Storr A, Rader T, Shokraneh F, Thomas J, Wieland LS. Technical Supplement to Chapter 4: Searching for and selecting studies. (page 58-63)  In: Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston MS, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (eds). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 6. Cochrane, 2019. Link

     
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