{ "cells": [ { "cell_type": "markdown", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "# 2. Research and experiments with data\n", "\n", "> Research is read more than it is written.\n", "\n", "It is a truth fundamental to research that new knowledge is advanced through the acquisition and interpretation of existing knowledge. \n", "\n", "There are numerous estimates of the number of research papers published every year, with one claim of [30,000 journals serving two million articles a year](https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20180905095203579#:~:text=No%20one%20knows%20how%20many,million%20articles%20published%20each%20year). [SciHub](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sci-Hub), an open access research paper repository, lists over 83 million papers. Quacquarelli Symonds, a company specialising in higher education analysis, considered 5,500 research institutes for their 2021 [World University Rankings](https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings). Some scientists publish more than 70 papers a year; a frequency of about one every five days.\n", "\n", "Clearly, not all of these can be of equal quality, nor are all likely to stand much scrutiny. The challenge is how to quickly evaluate research claims and assess whether the results can inform your own work. \n", "\n", "How does a scientist read and evaluate research?\n", "\n", "Any scholarly work rests on the quality of the data informing the analysis. The objective of this lesson is to learn how to read and review a research paper, with specific focus on sample randomisation, and assessing a level of confidence using core statistical and logical techniques. \n", "\n", "