How important is it for the research to identify the type of variable used in the study Brainly?

In analytical health research there are generally two types of variables. Independent variables are what we expect will influence dependent variables. A Dependent variable is what happens as a result of the independent variable. For example, if we want to explore whether high concentrations of vehicle exhaust impact incidence of asthma in children, vehicle exhaust is the independent variable while asthma is the dependent variable.  

A confounding variable, or confounder, affects the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. A confounding variable in the example of car exhaust and asthma would be differential exposure to other factors that increase respiratory issues, like cigarette smoke or particulates from factories. Because it would be unethical to expose a randomized group of people to high levels of vehicle exhaust,[1] a study comparing two populations with differential exposure to vehicle exhaust would rely on a natural experiment, or a situation in which this already occurs due to factors unrelated to the researchers. In this natural experiment, a community living near higher concentrations of car exhaust may also live near factories that pollute or have higher rates of smoking.

When running a study or analyzing statistics, researchers try to remove or account for as many of the confounding variables as possible in their study design or analysis. Confounding variables lead to bias, or a factor that may cause an estimate to differ from the true population value. Bias is a systematic error in study design, subject recruitment, data collection, or analysis that results in a mistaken estimate of the true population parameter.[2]

Although there are many types of bias, two common types are selection bias and information bias.  Selection bias occurs when the procedures used to select subjects and others factors that influence participation in the study produce a result that is different from what would have been obtained if all members of the target population were included in the study.[2]  For example, an online website that rates the quality of primary care physicians based on patients’ input may produce ratings that suffer from selection bias.  This is because individuals that had a particularly bad (or good) experience with the physician may be more likely to go to the website and provide a rating. 

Information bias refers to a “systematic error due to inaccurate measurement or classification of disease, exposure, or other variables.”[3]  Recall bias, a type of information bias, occurs when study participants do not remember the information they report accurately or completely.  The subject of confounding and bias relates to a larger discussion of the relationship between correlation and causation.  Although two variables may be correlated, this does not imply that there is a causal relationship between them. 

One way to determine whether a relationship between variables is causal is based on three criteria for research design: temporal precedence meaning that the hypothesized cause happens before the measured effect; covariation of the cause and effect meaning that there is an established relationship between the two variables regardless of causation; and a lack of plausible alternative explanations. Plausible alternative explanations are other factors that may cause the dependent variable under observation.[4]. These alternative explanations are closely related to the concept of internal validity.  

[1]Trochim, W.M.K. “Establishing Cause and Effect.” Research Methods Knowledge Base, 10/20/2006. Web 1/24/2017.
[2] “Bias, Confounding and Effect Modification” Stat 507, Epidemiological Research Methods, Penn State Eberly College of Science, 2017 Web 1/24/17.
[3] Aschengrau A. and G.R. Seage. (2014) Epidemiology in public health. 3rd ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
[4]. Due to a long history of unethical research in health and social sciences, researchers have many ethical obligations when conducting research, particularly with human subjects. These obligations were first codified in the Nuremburg Code in 1946, which specified that the benefits of research must outweigh the foreseeable risks. Ethical obligations continue to evolve to protect human subjects, including confidentiality and anonymity unless waived and informed consent. Increasingly, communities that have a stake in the outcomes of research are involved in its design and informed of the outcomes of the study. All federally funded research in the United States is subject to review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB).

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Referencing your sources means systematically showing what information or ideas you are quoting or paraphrasing from another author’s work, and identifying where that information come from. You must cite research in order to do research, but at the same time, you must delineate what are your original thoughts and ideas and what are the thoughts and ideas of others.

Procedures used to cite sources vary among different fields of study. Always speak with your professor about what writing style for citing sources should be used for the class because it is important to fully understand the citation style to be used in your paper, and to apply it consistently. If your professor defers and tells you to "choose whatever you want, just be consistent," then choose the citation style you are most familiar with or that is appropriate to your major [e.g., use Chicago style if its a history class; use APA if its an education course; use MLA if it is literature or a general writing course].

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Should I avoid referencing other people's work?
No! If placed in the proper context, referencing other people's research is never an indication that your work is substandard or lacks originality. In fact, the opposite is true. If you write your paper without adequate references to previous studies, you are signaling to the reader that you are not familiar with the literature about the topic, thereby, undermining the validity of your study and your credibility as a researcher. Including references in academic writing not only defends you against allegations of plagiarism, but it is one of the most important ways to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of previous investigations about the research problem. It is the intellectual packaging around which you present your study to the reader.

2. What should I do if I find that my idea has already been examined by another researcher?
Do not ignore another author's work because doing so will lead your readers to believe that you have either borrowed the idea or information without properly referencing it [this is plagiarism] or that you have failed to conduct a thorough review of the literature. You can acknowledge the other research by writing in the text of your paper something like this: [see also Smith, 2002], then citing the complete source in your list of references. Use the discovery of prior research as an opportunity to demonstrate the significance of the problem being investigated and, if applicable, as a means of delineating your analysis from those of others [e.g., the prior study is ten years old and doesn't take into account new variables]. Reacting to prior research can include: stating how your study updates previous studies on the topic, offering a new or different perspective, using a different method of data gathering, and/or describing a new set of guidelines, recommendations, best practices, or working solutions.

3. What should I do if I want to use an adapted version of someone else's work?
You still must cite the original work. For example, maybe you are using a table of statistics from a journal article published in 1996 by author Smith, but you have altered or added new data to it. Reference the revised chart, such as, [adapted from Smith, 1996], then cite the complete source in your list of references. You can also use other terms in order to specify the exact relationship between the original source and the version you have presented, such as, "based on Smith [1996]...," or "summarized from Smith [1996]...." Citing the original source helps the reader locate where the information was first presented and under what context it was used as well as to evaluate how effectively you applied it to your own research.

4. What should I do if several authors have published very similar information or ideas?
You can indicate that the idea or information can be found in the work of others by stating something similar to the following example: "Though in fact many scholars have applied this theory to understanding economic relations among nations [for example, see Smith, 1989; Jones, 1991; Johnson, 1994; Anderson, 2003], little attention has been given to applying the theory to examining the actions of non-governmental organizations in a globalized economy." If you only reference one author or only the most recent study, then your readers may assume that only one author has published on this topic, or more likely, conclude that you have not conducted a thorough literature review. Referencing all relevant authors of prior studies gives your readers a clear idea of the breadth of analysis you conducted in preparing to study the research problem. If there has been significant number of prior studies on the topic, describe the most comprehensive and recent works because they will presumably discuss and reference the older studies. However, note that there has been significant scholarship devoted to the topic so the reader knows that you are aware of this.

5. What if I find exactly what I want to say in the writing of another researcher?
In the social sciences, the rationale in duplicating prior research is generally governed by the passage of time, changing circumstances or conditions, or the introduction of new variables that necessitate a new investigation. If someone else has recently conducted a thorough investigation of precisely the same research problem as you, then you likely will have to revise your topic, or at the very least, review this literature to identify something new to say about the problem. However, if it is someone else's particularly succinct expression, but it fits perfectly with what you are trying to say, then you can quote it directly, referencing the source. Do not see this as a setback or become discouraged if you discover that your brilliant idea or important insight has already been identified by someone else. Identifying an author who has made the same point as you can be an opportunity to add legitimacy to, as well as reinforce the significance of, the research problem you are investigating. The key is to build on that idea in new and innovative ways. If you are not sure how to do this, consult with a librarian!

6. Should I cite a source even if it was published long ago?
Any resource used in writing your paper should be cited, regardless of when the study was written. However, in building a case for understanding prior research about your topic, it is generally true that you should focus on citing more recently published studies because they presumably have built upon the research of older publications. This is particularly true of new or revised editions of books, unless an older edition has unique information not carried over into newer editions. When referencing prior studies, use the research problem as your guide when considering what to cite. If a study from forty years ago investigated the same research problem, it probably should be examined and considered in your list of references because the research may have been foundational or groundbreaking even if its findings are no longer relevant to current conditions or reflect current thinking [one way to determine if a study is foundational or groundbreaking is to examine how often it has been cited in recent studies using the "Cited by" feature of Google Scholar]. However, if an older study only relates to the research problem tangentially or it has not been cited in recent studies, then it may be more appropriate to list it under further readings.

Ballenger, Bruce P. The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers. 7th edition. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2012; Harvard Guide to Using Sources. Harvard College Writing Program. Harvard University; How to Cite Other Sources in Your Paper. The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. Department of Biology. Bates College; Lunsford, Andrea A. and Robert Connors; The St. Martin's Handbook. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989; Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 3rd edition. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2015; Research and Citation Resources. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Writing Tutorial Services, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Indiana University.

How important is it for the researcher to identify the type of variables used in study?

Why is it important to identify the type of variable in a study Brainly?