Stuck on your research paper? Drowning in the grueling literature review?

Let me guess, you’ve spent hours digging through search engines, skimming abstracts, and still can’t find the evidence to back up your argument. Frustrating, right? Well, it happens to the best of us. But don’t worry, longitudinal studies might just be your new best friend!

Longitudinal studies are rigorous, long-term research studies that track changes over time. They're data goldmines, jam-packed with insights, since they’re like multiple single studies rolled into one.

Discover these three ways to use information from longitudinal studies, and your research paper will have airtight evidence and basis that would make even Sherlock Holmes nod in approval! 🕵️‍♂️

First, you can use information from a longitudinal study in your research paper to illustrate trends over time. 📈

In any research paper, the introduction almost always includes a discussion of trends over time because researchers need to place their study in the context of past and current trends.

And what type of study best tracks trends over time? Longitudinal studies!

Example 🔎

Look at this example from Hausman et al. They used a longitudinal study by Gordon-Larsen et al. to illustrate the increasing prevalence of obesity over time and to support their argument that there is a need for their research paper that aims to improve the accuracy of portion-size estimations:

"The prevalence of obesity continues to increase in the United States (Gordon-Larsen, The, & Adair, 2010)."

Another way to use information from a longitudinal study in your research paper is to demonstrate long-term impact. 💥

Many research papers aim to show how certain variables influence outcomes over extended periods. Since longitudinal studies follow participants over time, they provide strong evidence for lasting effects that can't be captured in short-term studies.

Example 🔎

Consider this example from Dewey and Beum, where they used a longitudinal study by Stein et al. to show the long-term impact of early nutritional supplementation on education outcomes:

"These studies showed that exposure to Atole supplementation before 3 years of age, but not after 3 years, increased years of schooling completed by 1.2 grades for women (but not for men) (Stein et al. 2008)."

Longitudinal studies are also useful in providing a basis for intervention in public health, education, and policy, among others.

By tracking participants over an extended period, these studies reveal insights into how early factors influence later outcomes. These findings can inform the development of targeted interventions to address issues before they become more severe.

Example 🔎

In a study by Zhang et al., they cited a longitudinal study by Aström et al. to show how mental and psychological problems appear in stroke patients.

"Furthermore, poststroke dysphagia (PSD) patients are prone to mental and psychological problems. For example, major and minor depression occur in 20–65% of PSD patients (Aström et al., 1993)."

This information was then used as a justification for a smart health-based rehabilitation as an intervention.

"The aim of this study was to explore the effect of smart health-based rehabilitation programs on patients with PSD in terms of swallowing function, quality of life, self-efficacy, social support and nutritional status."

You are working on a research study focused on childhood trauma. You found a study titled: "Childhood trauma and its impact on depressive and anxiety symptomatology in adulthood: A 6-year longitudinal study." How can you use the information from this longitudinal study? Select all that apply:

Kuzminskaite et al. (2022) showed that the effects of childhood trauma on depressive and anxiety symptoms remained stable.

Davidson et al. (2009) provided a general overview of childhood trauma’s effect on people with mental health problems.

Kuzminskaite et al. (2022) demonstrated that the impact of childhood trauma on multiple types of psychopathology indicates a clear need for personalized interventions and treatment planning.

Kuzminskaite et al. (2022) found that individuals with childhood trauma, especially severe trauma, consistently exhibited higher severity of all depressive/anxiety symptomatology.

Clearly, longitudinal studies are powerful tools that can strengthen your research paper. You can use them to illustrate trends, prove long-term impact, or provide a basis for intervention.

Now, apply what you’ve learned: