Reading a Research or Evidence Item

By VeriScorePrep Team · 5 min

ASWB and HESI research items test your ability to interpret evidence claims. The first move is recognizing the study design.

Study designs by strength of evidence

1. Systematic review / meta-analysis: combines multiple studies — highest evidence strength.
2. Randomized controlled trial (RCT): random assignment reduces bias.
3. Cohort study: follows groups forward in time; correlation question.
4. Case-control study: looks back at past exposure among cases vs controls; good for rare outcomes.
5. Cross-sectional: snapshot; cannot establish causation.
6. Case series / case report: descriptive; weakest evidence.

Reading an evidence item

1. Identify the question: what does the study ask?
2. Identify the design: which level of evidence?
3. Identify the outcome: what was measured?
4. Identify association vs causation: was it an observational design (association) or experimental (closer to causation)?

Pitfalls

• Assuming correlation = causation — only RCTs with proper design support causal claims.
• Generalizing beyond the study population — results apply to the sample, then to similar populations.
• Missing the difference between statistical significance and clinical effect.

Defense

On each research item, write the design, the sample, and the conclusion drawn by the question's authors. Then evaluate whether the conclusion follows from the design. Mismatches are where items hide.