Methods
How studies are chosen, how evidence is graded and how findings are reported.
What gets covered
Questions that organizations and employees ask about performing at work: sleep and rest, concentration, stress and pressure, movement and stamina, burnout, productivity, absence and retention, and how the working week is arranged.
How studies are chosen
- A question is written first, in everyday words.
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyzes are searched for first.
- If none exists, large studies with a clear design are used and labeled as single studies.
- A finding that rests on one small study is not published.
Evidence grades
| Grade | What it is | How it is described |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systematic review or meta-analysis of published studies | "Across studies…" |
| 2 | Large single study in a peer-reviewed journal | "In a study of N people…" |
| 3 | Research body or institution report | "A report by…" |
| 4 | Single-organization or non-peer-reviewed source | Not used for a finding; may be named as context |
How findings are reported
- The figure and its comparison. "About 62% lower odds than the comparison group", never a number on its own.
- Who and how many. Population, size, years.
- The design and what it cannot show. A study that measures people at one point in time shows an association. A study that follows people over years shows a pattern over time. Neither shows that one thing caused another unless it is a trial.
- Past tense for what was found: "had", "showed", "reported". No "proves", "boosts" or "drives".
- No labels for people. Findings describe what people did, not what they are.
Corrections
See corrections.