What are the Strengths and Limitations of Different Research Designs?
Each research design has its own strengths and limitations:
1. Cohort Studies: Strengths include the ability to measure incidence and temporal sequences. Limitations involve potential loss to follow-up and resource intensiveness.
2. Case-Control Studies: These are efficient for studying rare diseases and require fewer resources. However, they are susceptible to recall bias and selection bias.
3. Cross-Sectional Studies: They are quick and economical, but they cannot establish causal relationships due to the simultaneous measurement of exposure and outcome.
4. Randomized Controlled Trials: RCTs offer high internal validity due to randomization but can be expensive and ethically challenging in certain scenarios.
