Title: Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do - ScienceDirect
Headings: Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do
Series
Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do
Summary
The descriptive triad—or pentad?
Five “W” questions
Types of descriptive studies
Case report
Case-series report
Cross-sectional (prevalence) studies
Surveillance
Ecological correlational studies
Uses of descriptive studies
Trend analysis
Planning
Clues about cause
Advantages and disadvantages
Overstepping the data
Conclusion
References

Content: Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do - ScienceDirect
The Lancet
Volume 359, Issue 9301, 12 January 2002, Pages 145-149
Series
Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do
Author links open overlay panel
DrDavid AGrimesMDa Kenneth FSchulzPhDa
Outline
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736 (02)07373-7 Get rights and content
Summary
Descriptive studies often represent the first scientific toe in the water in new areas of inquiry. A fundamental element of descriptive reporting is a clear, specific, and measurable definition of the disease or condition in question. Like newspapers, good descriptive reporting answers the five basic W questions: who, what, why, when, where … and a sixth: so what? Case reports, case-series reports, cross-sectional studies, and surveillance studies deal with individuals, whereas ecological correlational studies examine populations. The case report is the least-publishable unit in medical literature. Case-series reports aggregate individual cases in one publication.