Section H

Scientific Methods

How medical knowledge is made and checked.

A guide to the questions that connect measurement, study design, validation, analysis and transparent reporting.

A clear research question connects the population, intended use, comparison and outcome to an appropriate study design.

Advance planning makes research decisions visible and helps limit selective analysis and reporting.

Recruitment and selection determine which people a study describes and how far its findings may extend.

Study size should reflect the research goal, desired precision and explicit assumptions rather than a universal numerical rule.

The choice and application of a reference standard or comparator shape what an evaluation can establish.

Analytical validation examines whether a measurement method measures its intended target with performance suitable for its stated use.

Clinical validation examines whether a test or model provides valid information about a clinical condition or outcome in its intended population.

Clinical utility concerns whether using a test or model leads to worthwhile effects on care compared with a relevant alternative.

External evaluation tests transfer beyond development data, while prospective evaluation plans observation forward in time.

Traceable data and versioned workflows help others understand, check and repeat a scientific analysis.

Structured reporting helps readers understand and assess a study, but checklist completion does not guarantee reliable research.

This proposed method provides a structured way to record study findings, limitations and source context without overstating the evidence.