The guides
Six guides, written for people who don't read research for a living. Read them in order for a short course, or jump to the one you need today.
- 1Study types explained, from case reports to meta-analysesPlain-language guide to research designs used in studies of children: trials, cohort studies, surveys, case-control, qualitative work, reviews and meta-analyses.5 min
- 2Correlation and causation in screen-time headlinesWhy screen-time studies about children and teens seem to contradict each other: correlation, reverse causation, confounders and effect size.4 min
- 3Sample size, and why it matters in studies of childrenHow many children a study needs, margins of error in plain numbers, why small studies exaggerate effects, subgroups, dropouts and why who took part matters most.5 min
- 4Research ethics and consent when studies involve minorsHow research with children is regulated: parental permission, child assent, ethics boards, risk levels, privacy and what parents can ask.5 min
- 5How to find open-access research for free, legallyLegal ways to read research papers about children without paying: Google Scholar, PubMed Central, Unpaywall, DOAJ, ERIC, preprints, libraries and emailing authors.4 min
- 6How to read a news story about a study on kidsA routine for reading news about research on children and teens: check the headline wording, find the original study and weigh the context.4 min