Truly understanding research articles can take years of practice. The resources shown here may help you get a grasp, as may the resources listed on the Background page.
(For additional sources for getting a handle on statisitcs, see the Statistics page.)
How to read a paper: The Medline database. Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7101): 180-3.
Getting your bearings (deciding what the paper is about). Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7102): 243-246.
Assessing the methodological quality of published papers. Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7103): 305-308. SCROLL TO PAGE 305
Statistics for the non-statistician: Different types of data need different statistical tests. Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7104): 364-366. SCROLL TO PAGE 364
Statistics for the non-statistician. II: "Significant" relations and their pitfalls. Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7105): 422-425. SCROLL TO PAGE 422
Papers that report drug trials. Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7106): 480-483. SCROLL TO PAGE 480
Papers that report diagnostic or screening test. Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7107): 540-543.
Papers that tell you what things costs (economic analyses). Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7108): 596-599. SCROLL TO PAGE 596
Papers that summarise other papers (systematic reviews and meta-analyses). Greenhalgh T. BMJ 1997; 315(7109): 672-675. SCROLL TO PAGE 672
Papers that go beyond numbers (qualitative research). Greenhalgh T, and Taylor R. BMJ 1997; 315(7110): 740-743. SCROLL TO PAGE 740