The title of the article covers the snapshot of what the contents of the research are. The title also has a section that focuses on the methodology and target population for the study. The specific aspects of the title create an idea of what the article will cover. The article does not have an abstract. On the contrary, it has summaries of the sections covered. These sections offer a shorter version of the article. The introduction provides a clear intention of the direction that the article will take. It also provides a background of the study and the anticipated methodology.
The introductory section also contains the statement of the problem which is based on the existing knowledge gap at the time when the study was initiated. It also contains the purpose of the study which is also an extension of the interpretation of the knowledge gap. The existing informational gap is to be filled by the study through the provision of real time data on the effects of CT scans on the patients and how the early exposure increases the chances of the patients contracting the leukemia types as well as different brain tumors (Pearce, et al., 2012). Ionizing radiation is hypothesized as the main cause of radiation related cancers.
The purpose of the study is understood based on the introduction of the statement of the problem. The identification of different stands on the role of ionizing radiation in the development of cancer is a sufficient problem. The purpose is linked to the identified problem since the authors seek to resolve the problem. Therefore, the first part of the article is accurate and informative to the reader. However, lack of clear labelling of the sections leads to comparative confusion to the reader since he or she has to identify the sections from the text.
Even after the succinct identification of the purpose of the study, the authors do a dismal job when it comes to the definition of the research questions. The article lacks the clear definition of the research question which is worsened by the lack of a subheading. The reader is left wondering which the research questions are. The hypotheses of the study that are anticipated to be developed from the research questions are also absent. Therefore, the reader is not fully aware of what the researchers hypothesized. Therefore, a reader cannot conduct hypothesis testing when they are not fully defined. The article has some element of research questions. However, the reader has to find them in the text and reframe them. Therefore, the research article ought to have the research questions.
The research article draws its premise from radiation related studies. One of the main study areas is radiation as a result of the atomic bombs in Japan (Bernier et al., 2014). The reason for relying on the studies conducted on the Japanese cancer victims from the two regions bombed during the Second World War is that the studies are the most extensive (Pearce, et al., 2012). The decision to rely on Japanese related studies is also accurate since the information contained there is the most recent and relevant in the study (Meulepas et al, 2014). However, the development of cancer in the brain and the red bone marrow may be affected by the unique race markers. Given the region where the study was conducted, the effects of radiation exposure may be different due to the Caucasian race markers (Meulepas et al., 2016). Therefore, the extreme reliance on Japanese based studies may be faulted as a potentially misleading precedent (Mathews et al., 2013). However, the researchers raise the same point when they were conducting the literature review. Hence, they tried to substantiate the Japanese based studies with studies focusing on other regions (Pearce, et al., 2012). From the literature review, the reader can understand how the researchers identified the knowledge gap. Consideration of all the research conducted in the past leads to the validation of the present research. The review proves that there is a need to conduct the research.
The appointed methodology is also accurate. The researcher use observation and desk research to analyze the data collected over a long period. Analysis of the data is ethical after receiving the ethical certification from the relevant authorities. The sample size is representative and a good fit for the appointed research method. The sampling technique also enables the researcher to identify the most relevant data to use. In sampling, the researchers also consider the lapses in data as far as calibration of CT scans are concerned (Pearce, et al., 2012). Therefore, the research relies on estimates. This may not have been universally applicable.
The analytical approach helps in the identification of the areas of interest. Since the purpose of the study was the evaluation of role of ionizing radiation from high exposure to CT scans at an early age in development of brain tumors and leukemia, the analysis helps in the identification of the probability and the level of radiation needed to spark the cancers in individuals that did not have the propensity. The research uses scientific methods such as Poisson method to relate the exposure to risk of developing the tumors. The results from the research are presented in clear manner. There is combination of both tables and figures. All the statistics are explained. The results are more understandable with the way they are presented. A professional interpretation follows in the discussion section leading to better understanding of the concept (Pearce, et al., 2012). The discussion leads to better understanding of the results. The study has a high quality and can be used in practice.
References
Bernier, M. O., Rehel, J. L., Brisse, H. J., Wu-Zhou, X., Caer-Lorho, S., Jacob, S., & Laurier, D. (2014). Radiation exposure from CT in early childhood: a French large-scale multicentre study. The British journal of radiology.
Mathews, J. D., Forsythe, A. V., Brady, Z., Butler, M. W., Goergen, S. K., Byrnes, G. B., & McGale, P. (2013). Cancer risk in 680 000 people exposed to computed tomography scans in childhood or adolescence: data linkage study of 11 million Australians.
Meulepas, J. M., Ronckers, C. M., Merks, J., Weijerman, M. E., Lubin, J. H., & Hauptmann, M. (2016). Confounding of the association between radiation exposure from CT scans and risk of leukemia and brain tumors by cancer susceptibility syndromes. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 25(1), 114-126.
Meulepas, J. M., Ronckers, C. M., Smets, A. M., Nievelstein, R. A., Jahnen, A., Lee, C., & Jeukens, C. R. (2014). Leukemia and brain tumors among children after radiation exposure from CT scans: design and methodological opportunities of the Dutch Pediatric CT Study. European journal of epidemiology, 29(4), 293-301.
Pearce, M. S., Salotti, J. A., Little, M. P., McHugh, K., Lee, C., Kim, K. P., & Parker, L. (2012). Radiation exposure from CT scans in childhood and subsequent risk of leukaemia and brain tumours: a retrospective cohort study. The Lancet, 380(9840), 499-505.
