STEP 1: Demonstrate your understanding of observational and experimental studies.

• How do you determine if a study is an experiment or an observational study?
• Based on the study design, what types of conclusions are appropriate?

STEP 2: Briefly summarize an observational study that you can complete during this course. Based on ethical research standards and the limited oversight provided by an online course, you will not be allowed to research protected populations such as children, pregnant women, people with mental health conditions, veterans, prisoners, or other vulnerable populations. 

• What is your research question?
• What categorical and quantitative variables need to be measured to answer the question?
• How will you gather data to answer the question?
• What population will your research apply to?
• How will you recruit representative participants for your sample?
• What can you do to share the results in a meaningful way?

You will receive feedback on this proposed research study before you move forward with gathering data. 

This is a "post-first" discussion. You will need to post your initial post in order to see peer posts.