title: Interpreting and reporting results.
abstract: Creating and disseminating knowledge is the goal of research. This is accomplished through critical analysis of systematically collected and clearly reported information. Critical analysis begins with the simple step of looking at the data collected prior to applying complex statistical analysis to make comparisons. Statistical analysis is approached in a standardised manner, depending on the type of data that has been collected. When a careful, stepwise standardised approach is applied to comparisons needed to address the research question, new knowledge is created and erroneous conclusions avoided. Following careful examination and analysis of the data, critical review is an important additional step to ensure that conclusions are correctly drawn. The process of peer review involved in publishing the research in the scientific literature is an important step to disseminating the new knowledge and ensuring its quality. Research is never complete without submitting it for publication in the peer-reviewed literature.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Activities Unit, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France. union@iuatld.org
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Enarson
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bakke
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D012107:Research Design / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015983:Selection Bias