How can researchers and readers of research avoid research bias to obtain the true value of the research paper? SP: The answer for the consumer of research is to read the method and results sections first. The method sec-tion should tell you in sufficient detail how the study data were collected and in what context. The results section will allow you to see the statistical measures applied and the strength of the measured effects and relationships among variables. The other sections in the article (introduction, discussion, and conclusion) are subject to interpre-tation. The sections other than the method and results are the attempt to put the research question tested into the context of the existing literature and it is where any bias of the author might be found. In the end, the true goal of any scientist should be to re-main objective and not interpret their findings beyond the scope of their data. In the research process, bias can be avoided by your experimental design. For example, you can attempt to “blind” patients as to the intervention they are receiving, or you can “blind” your research staff regarding whether a patient received an intervention or not. SP: The future is bright, and the op-portunities in the coming years have the potential to grow if they are prop-erly developed, cultivated and sup-ported by the chiropractic profession, universities and government health-care funding agencies. There has never been a better time for chiroprac-tors to pursue graduate degrees within the Canadian university system. Thanks to the initiatives of the Cana-dian Chiropractic Research Founda-tion and other self-driven clinician-sci-entists, chiropractors with the interest, What would you tell someone who is thinking about entering chiropractic research? desire and aptitude can approach DC PhDs at research intensive universities across the country to supervise master degrees, or PhDs in the behavioral/ neural sciences, epidemiology, or basic bench laboratory sciences. The re-search community is also one that has no borders. Research opportunities are growing both locally, and abroad for those ready for different cultural experiences around the globe. Next time you receive a referral from a medical doctor or a recommendation from a surgeon to try conservative chi-ropractic care on a patient, remember that somewhere along the way a re-searcher blazed a trail to create that working relationship. As clinicians, we should make it a habit to read and fol-low current research so we can become committed to clinical excellence. For more on education, visit www. canadianchiropractor.ca. www.canadianchiropractor.ca September 2013 Canadian Chiropractor 29
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