This book is a primer for basic medical literature evaluation. It is not intended to be used as a complete critical literature evaluation text. It is simply a "survival guide" for students and clinicians trying to learn the basics of literature evaluation.

About the author

Dr Herring graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and in 1994 with a Doctor of Pharmacy. His post-doctoral residency in pharmacy practice was completed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina in 1995. Dr. Herring is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Campbell University School of Pharmacy in Buies Creek, North Carolina. He is also the Adult Medicine Team Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) for the Downtown Health Plaza of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

• Basic Concepts – Gaddis & Gaddis Part 1
• Descriptive Statistics – Gaddis & Gaddis Part 2
• Sensitivity, Specificity, Predictive Value, and Hypothesis Testing
• Statistical Inference Techniques for Hypothesis Testing w/ Parametric Data
• Statistical Inference Techniques for Hypothesis Testing w/ Non-Parametric Data
• Correlation and Regression – Gaddis & Gaddis Part 6
• Error vs Bias
• Controlled vs Non-Controlled
• Blinding in Trial Design
• Confounding
• Validity
• Prospective vs Retrospective
• Odds Ratios, Relative Risks (aka Risk Ratios, Rate Ratio, or Incidence Rate Ratio)
• Randomized Controlled Trials
• Various Types of Analyses
• Combined Endpoints
• Miscellaneous
• Abbreviations
• References
• Index