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Research Study Designs: A Review Article | ||
| Ninevah Journal of Public Health & Nursing | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 11 August 2026 | ||
| Document Type: Review Articles | ||
| DOI: 10.64554/njphn.2026.173398.1022 | ||
| Author | ||
| Rebar Yahya Abdullah* | ||
| Community health and Psychiatric Nursing Department, College of Nursing. University of Duhok. Duhok City, Iraq. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Study design constitutes the foundation of research, as it determines the methods and timing of data collection, the statistical analyses to be employed, and the appropriate interpretation of findings. The selection of an appropriate study design is influenced by multiple factors, including the research question, the researcher’s expertise, available resources, time constraints, and the latency and frequency of the disease under investigation. The rigor and suitability of the chosen design directly affect the validity, reliability, and generalizability of the study outcomes. This article presents a comprehensive overview of commonly used research design. Broadly, study designs are classified into observational studies, in which investigators observe natural phenomena without intervention, and experimental studies, which involve deliberate manipulation to test research hypotheses. Observational studies may be further categorized as descriptive or analytical. Descriptive studies, such as case reports and case series, primarily generate hypotheses, whereas analytical studies including cross-sectional, case–control, and cohort designs—both generate and test hypotheses. Experimental studies are primarily employed to test hypotheses and establish causal relationships. Each study design possesses distinct strengths and limitations, which are discussed in this article. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Keywords: Study designs; Observational studies; Descriptive studied; Analytical studies; Experimental studies | ||
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