Abstract
When proposing a study, one first briefly formulates the ‘general study objectives’ and then describes the ‘specific aims’ to clearly articulate the essence of the design used to generate empirical evidence about the research question(s) at hand. This is a crucial step in the development of the research plan. Indeed, reviewers of study proposals often consider the ‘specific aims section’ as the most important section of the proposal, as this section provides them a first insight into the validity and efficiency of the design and methods to be used. This chapter explains that the essence of a study design lies in specifications of the study domain, occurrence relation(s), study base, study variables, and outcome parameters. This chapter also offers practical advice for investigators in pinpointing and describing the specific aims of a research project.
Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
Voltaire
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Van den Broeck, J., Brestoff, J.R., Chhagan, M. (2013). The Specific Aims. In: Van den Broeck, J., Brestoff, J. (eds) Epidemiology: Principles and Practical Guidelines. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5989-3_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5989-3_5
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