PILATES SCIENCE
  • Articles
    • Published articles search
    • Unpublished articles
  • MEET THE SCIENTISTS
    • Dr. Aline Haas
    • Dr. Lise Stolze
    • Dr. Karyn Staples
    • Débora Werba
    • Dr. Penny Latey
  • RESEARCH 101
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Types of research
    • 3. Where & how to find research articles
    • 4. Basic statistical concepts
    • 5. Article components
    • 6. Start your own research
    • 7. Potential limitations
    • 8. Relevant authors & websites
  • Meet Our Contributors
    • Enja Schenck
    • Robyn Rix
    • Dr Penny Latey
  • CONTACT
  • HOME


Research 101

6. Start your own research

Developing a research proposal
  • Identifying the topic
  • Searching the literature – what do we know about the topic
  • Identifying the problem – why do I need to conduct this research
  • Defining the research purpose
  • Stating the hypothesis(es) – what do you expect to find based on your research on the topic
  • Plan the research methods
    • Subjects, age, demographics etc.
    • Instruments used for test (reliability and validity)
    • Procedures – describe interventions, measures, protocols etc.
    • Data analysis – describe selected tests
  • Appendices: prepare informed consents, data collection sheets etc.
  • Submit to institutional review board (IRB) for approval

IRB submission
  • Every article published in a scientific journal requires IRB approval.
  • An institutional review board (IRB), also known as an 'independent ethics committee', is a committee that has been designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans.
  • Institutions that have IRBs are colleges, universities and hospitals.
  • There are also professional IRBs available, but they charge fees.
  • In order to receive IRB approval, researchers involved in the study need to complete a certification for “training for the protection of human subjects”.
  • Only a few projects/studies do not need IRB approval, such as earches of existing literature

Where to publish
  • Scientific journals or professional journals (IRB required). Note: The higher the Impact Factor (average number of citations/year), the more highly regarded the journal.
  • Other publications from fitness organizations (articles, letters to editor, position statements)
  • Evidence-based magazines (FitnessRX for women or men)
  • Regular magazines (Pilates Style)
  • Websites (such as T-nation or breakingmuscle.com)
  • Blogs

Challenges for the independent researcher
  • IRB approval: It can become costly if you need to find a private IRB, because you're not associated with a college, university or hospital.
  • Staffing: It’s extremely time consuming to conduct a study and all interventions, measures and authoring by yourself! In fact the validity of the study may suffer if testers are not appropriately trained or only 1 tester is used.
  • Finding subjects and controls within the budget.
  • Avoiding potential conflicts of interest.
  • Conducting the required statistical analyses.
7. LIMITATIONS >
Copyright Pilates Science © 2017-2023
  • Articles
    • Published articles search
    • Unpublished articles
  • MEET THE SCIENTISTS
    • Dr. Aline Haas
    • Dr. Lise Stolze
    • Dr. Karyn Staples
    • Débora Werba
    • Dr. Penny Latey
  • RESEARCH 101
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Types of research
    • 3. Where & how to find research articles
    • 4. Basic statistical concepts
    • 5. Article components
    • 6. Start your own research
    • 7. Potential limitations
    • 8. Relevant authors & websites
  • Meet Our Contributors
    • Enja Schenck
    • Robyn Rix
    • Dr Penny Latey
  • CONTACT
  • HOME