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Katherine Reeves, professor of epidemiology and associate dean of graduate and professional studies in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, has published a new textbook that provides a concise guide to the understanding and critical evaluation of journal articles in epidemiology.

The book, “Making Sense of Epidemiological Research: A Student's Guide,” offers a step-by-step process, beginning with how to find epidemiologic studies on a given topic. It shows readers how to identify and assess the key features of a study’s design, the methods of data collection and analysis, the conclusions that can be drawn and, finally, the questions that remain. Including a chapter exploring the misuse of artificial intelligence, the book shows students not only how to evaluate individual studies, but also how to synthesize findings across multiple studies on a single topic, as well as guidance on writing a critique of a given article.

An experienced instructor with over 15 years of teaching, Reeves also includes activities so that readers can practice the skills they learn.

“With so much misinformation in today’s media landscape, it’s more important than ever for public health and healthcare professionals to have the skills to critically evaluate epidemiologic studies on their own,” Reeves says. “I wrote this book based on my experience teaching UMass undergraduate and graduate students how to do just that. My hope is that both students and working professionals will find it a valuable resource for making sense of the medical literature.”

Essential reading for any student of epidemiology, public health and medicine, “Making Sense of Epidemiological Research” is available for pre-order now from Routledge and is scheduled for release on July 8.