RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Essentials of research methods in neurosurgery and allied sciences for research, appraisal and application of scientific information to patient care (Part I) JF Neurosciences Journal JO Neurosciences (Riyadh) FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City SP 97 OP 107 DO 10.17712/nsj.2016.2.20150552 VO 21 IS 2 A1 Esene, Ignatius N. A1 El-Shehaby, Amr M. A1 Baeesa, Saleh S. YR 2016 UL http://nsj.org.sa/content/21/2/97.abstract AB Every neurosurgeon ought to be acquainted with the basics of research methods to enhance the comprehension of the research process and critical appraisal procedures of a scientific write-up. This in turn will ensure the appropriate application of scientific knowledge to patient care. Recent publications reveal that a significant proportion of articles published in neurosurgery are mislabeled with dire consequences on the sorting and indexing of evidence. Furthermore, many clinicians report that they feel unqualified to read the medical literature critically hence, it is for this reason that we conducted this review. Herein, we present a simple algorithm to facilitate the comprehension of research methods, as well as elucidate on the anatomy of common study designs in neurosurgery. Illustrative examples are provided when necessary. Understanding research methods and the critical analysis of published reports of clinical investigation is a fundamental skill of the physician to enable the incorporation of new clinical knowledge to practice