6 Evidence Appraisal: Research 137
introduction, method, results, and discussion. Readers will find that research
reports do not always clearly delineate these sections with headers, although the
elements may still be present. For example, typically, the introduction or conclu-
sion of a research report has no heading. Additionally, nurses need to develop a
strategy for reading research articles with a critical eye. A sequential strategy is
to read the title, then the abstract, then jump to the conclusion, and then decide
whether you want to read the article. If so, then go back to the beginning and
read the article in its entirety.
The Title
When searching for written research evidence, an EBP team encounters a list-
ing of potential titles. The title presents a starting point in determining whether
the article has the potential to be included in an EBP review. Ideally, the title
should be informative and help the reader understand what type of study is be-
ing reported. A well-chosen title states what was done, to whom it was done, and
how it was done. Consider the title “Effects of a peer-assisted tai-chi-qigong pro-
gramme on social isolation and psychological wellbeing in Chinese hidden elders:
a pilot randomized controlled trial” (Chan, Yu, Choi, Chan, & Wong, 2016). The
reader is immediately apprised of what was done (peer-assisted programme inter-
vention), to whom it was done (Chinese hidden elders), and how it was done (a
randomized controlled trial).
Often, articles germane to an EBP question are skipped because the title does not
give a clue to its relevance. For example, consider the title “Urinary Tract Infec-
tion Rates Associated with Re-Use of Catheters in Clean Intermittent Catheter-
ization of Male Veterans” (Kannankeril, Lam, Reyes, & McCartney, 2011). Al-
though the reader can get the idea that the article concerns urinary tract infection
rates in male veterans who undergo clean intermittent catheterization (what and
in whom), the title gives no indication that this is a report of a nonexperimental
research study using a descriptive design. The title is more reflective of an opinion
piece than a research report.
