1.
Question 1
True or False: The introduction section of a research manuscript should explain how the current study is going to fill in the gaps and limitations of previous studies.

1 point

True


False

2.
Question 2
True or False: Data presented in a figure should always be repeated in a table.

1 point

True


False

3.
Question 3
True or False: The discussion section should begin with a statement of the study's main findings.

1 point

True


False

4.
Question 4
True or False: When writing research manuscripts, it is best to write the abstract first.

1 point

True


False

5.
Question 5
True or False: It is important to avoid jargon in the methods section.

1 point

True


False

6.
Question 6
The following paragraph appeared at the end of the introduction section of a paper that examined alcohol consumption and cognitive decline: 

"We used data on alcohol consumption gathered prospectively over 30 years to investigate associations with brain structural and functional outcomes in 550 non-alcohol dependent participants. Our hypotheses were twofold: light drinking (<7 units weekly) is protective against adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline and heavier drinking (above recommended guidelines) is associated with adverse brain and cognitive outcomes."

Which of the following sentences most likely appeared at the start of the discussion section of the same paper?

1 point

"Strengths of this study are the 30 year longitudinal data on alcohol consumption and the detailed available data on confounders."


"Prospective studies of the effects of alcohol use on the brain are few, and replication of these findings in other populations will be important."


"Other studies vary in reported rates of heavy drinking, but our rates are comparable."


"We have found a previously uncharacterised dose-dependent association between alcohol consumption over 30 years of follow-up and hippocampal atrophy, as well as impaired white matter microstructure."

7.
Question 7
The following sentences are from a research study that was published in the BMJ Christmas issue. Researchers left boxes of chocolates out in a hospital ward, and then covertly studied their patterns of consumption.

Which sentence is most likely from the methods section?

1 point

"Overall, 191 chocolates out of a possible 258 (74%) were observed to have been eaten."


"Literature on chocolate consumption by healthcare workers in a hospital setting is lacking."


"The median survival time of a chocolate was 51 minutes (95% confidence interval 39 to 63)."


"Observations took place in the last week of August 2013."


"In keeping with many biological processes, the way a box of chocolates is consumed seems to follow an exponential decay process, with an initial rapid 'grab' phase."

8.
Question 8
The following sentence appeared in a paper in PLOS Medicine:

"We had previously described the PSENs and APP mutational spectrum in a large French series of families with an EOAD diagnosis in at least two first-degree relatives from two generations [14]. The aim of the present article is to report mutations in additional families included since our last 2012 update [14]."

The sentence most likely appeared in which section of the paper?

1 point

Introduction


Results


Methods


Discussion

9.
Question 9
The following sentence appeared in the last paragraph of the introduction section of a paper on maternal antidepressant use and birth defects:

"Given the current debate, and the public health impact and clinical implications of prescribing and using antidepressants during pregnancy on the fetus, we aimed to study the association between first-trimester exposure to antidepressants and the risk of major congenital malformations in a cohort of depressed pregnant women." 

Which of the following sentences most likely appeared in the first paragraph of the discussion section of the same paper?

1 point

"We found that women using serotonin inhibitors during the first trimester, including SSRIs, SNRIs and some tricyclics, were at risk of having a child with cardiac, musculoskeletal, craniofacial, digestive and respiratory defects as well as craniosynostosis. "


"Our results are consistent with animal and experimental studies, which demonstrated a mechanism whereby alterations in serotonin by serotonin inhibition (SSRI, SNRI and some tricyclics (amitriptyline)) can impact morphogenesis and organogenesis." 


"Limitations include missing information on potentially important confounders such as smoking, folic acid intake and alcohol intake." 


"Given that an increasing number of women are diagnosed with depression during pregnancy, these results have direct implications on their clinical management."

10.
Question 10
The following paragraph appeared in the results section of a paper comparing glucosamine to placebo for treating osteoarthritis pain (as measured by the VAS score):

"Applying a mixed-effects regression model with adjustments for age and BMI yielded mean VAS scores at 24 weeks of 2.97 (95 % CI 2.38–3.56) and 2.88 (95 % CI 2.29–3.47) in the glucosamine and placebo groups, respectively (see Table 2). This indicated no significant difference between the two groups, with an estimated mean difference of 0.09 (95 % CI −0.75 to 0.94).

Revise this paragraph to improve concision and clarity. Grading is based on completion only. After submission, make sure to compare your answer to the model answer provided.

1 point
What do you think?
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