Study Design Decision Guide

What is the primary aim of your study?

Choose the option that best describes what you are trying to find out — not the method you already have in mind.

• Describe how common something is, or characterise a population

  e.g. prevalence, proportion, frequency, distribution
• Understand people's experiences, perspectives, or meaning

  e.g. why, how, what does it mean
• Test whether an intervention or programme works

  e.g. does this treatment, training, or policy have an effect?
• Identify risk factors or causes of a health or social outcome

  e.g. what predicts, causes, or is associated with this outcome?
• Synthesise evidence from multiple existing studies

  e.g. reviewing the literature to answer a specific question