Original:
Analysis of “Bone health in elite Norwegian endurance cyclists and runners: a cross-sectional study”
A common problem associated with growing old is osteoporosis, a disease in which bones lose their density and become very brittle. One way that doctors suggest preventing osteoporosis is through weight-bearing exercise. The peer-reviewed article, “Bone health in elite Norwegian endurance cyclists and runners: a cross-sectional study,” published December 27th, 2018 in the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, discusses a study of low-weight-bearing exercise, cycling, vs. high-weight-bearing exercise, distance running, in terms of bone mineral density for nationally-recognized athletes of each sports. The result of the study was that it was found cyclists had a significantly lower bone mineral density than runners, despite performing more heavy workouts than runners. Overall, the article uses the IMRAD format to logically introduce information, uses the past tense, almost singularly uses the passive voice, and uses some hedging verbs, with many findings also stated as facts.
In introducing the paper, the authors follow the standard formula for introductions, beginning with a broad statement and ending with a narrow one. In this section, hedging verbs are used abundantly. All previous findings are not stated to be facts, but rather to be what was observed. The authors inform readers of the current state of knowledge in the field of skeletal health, bringing up previous research about bone mineral density. Next, they introduce the problem that runners and cyclists may face because of their training, mentioning possible contributors to the problem. Finally, the authors use a subsection to make clear the goal of the research study and what they would be calculating.
The authors continued to the methods section next, staying consistent with the IMRAD format. In this section, everything is written in the past tense. The authors are simply discussing actions taken by them and why. The first sentence, however, breaks one of the conventions the rest of the article uses, switching to the active voice in mentioning who the participants of the study were. In the sentence after, the authors switch back to the passive voice in mentioning the specific measurement to be compared between both groups. This may suggest an error made by the authors. Afterwords, the authors explain in detail how the participants were selected, making special note of what conditions were looked for and what conditions were avoided, making the experiment easily repeatable. How data was measured is also included in detail, for the same purpose of clarity. Lastly, the statistical analysis performed is outlined, from the program used to how the data was to be interpreted.
Although the results section is very brief, it’s where the authors present what they found. Like other articles, the authors present their findings in multiple data tables, summarizing the information in each table in a single paragraph afterwards. They use and state statistics found, to condense their data, maintaining the use of the past tense.
When explaining their results in the discussion/conclusion, the authors address all points commonly included in conclusions. They begin by summarizing the data found and then explain what its implications are. Afterwards, the authors address the importance of their study, as well as its limitations. Similar to the introduction, the authors include past studies, some of which contradict their findings. The authors then explain how these studies are limited, unlike theirs’, giving their study more validity. In their explanation, the authors do not use hedging verbs, stating their findings as fact. This shows their confidence in their findings, eliminating any doubt from the reader in the validity of the claims. Finally, the authors explain the reason why their data is what it is, expand on why it’s important, and give suggestions on how the problem may be solved.
Final Version:
Analysis of “Bone health in elite Norwegian endurance cyclists and runners: a cross-sectional study”
A common problem associated with growing old is osteoporosis, a disease in which bones lose their density and become very brittle. One way that doctors suggest preventing osteoporosis is through weight-bearing exercise. The peer-reviewed article, “Bone health in elite Norwegian endurance cyclists and runners: a cross-sectional study,” published December 27th, 2018 in the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, discusses a study of low-weight-bearing exercise, cycling, vs. high-weight-bearing exercise, distance running, in terms of bone mineral density for nationally-recognized athletes of each sports. The result of the study was that it was found cyclists had a significantly lower bone mineral density than runners, despite performing more heavy workouts than runners. Overall, the article uses the IMRAD format to logically introduce information, uses the past tense, almost singularly uses the passive voice, and uses some hedging verbs along with many findings also stated using non-hedging verbs..
In introducing the paper, the authors follow the standard formula for introductions, beginning with a broad statement and ending with a narrow one. In this section, hedging verbs are used abundantly. All previous findings are not stated to be facts, but rather to be what was observed. The authors inform readers of the current state of knowledge in the field of skeletal health, bringing up previous research about bone mineral density. Next, they introduce the problem that runners and cyclists may face because of their training, mentioning possible contributors to the problem. Finally, the authors use a subsection to make clear the goal of the research study and what they would be calculating.
The authors continued to the methods section next, staying consistent with the IMRAD format. In this section, everything is written in the past tense. The authors are simply discussing actions taken by them and why. The first sentence, however, breaks one of the conventions the rest of the article uses, switching to the active voice in mentioning who the participants of the study were. In the sentence after, the authors switch back to the passive voice in mentioning the specific measurement to be compared between both groups. This may suggest an error made by the authors. Afterwords, the authors explain in detail how the participants were selected, making special note of what conditions were looked for and what conditions were avoided, making the experiment easily repeatable. How data was measured is also included in detail, for the same purpose of clarity. Lastly, the statistical analysis performed is outlined, from the program used to how the data was to be interpreted.
Although the results section is very brief, it’s where the authors present what they found. Like other articles, the authors present their findings in multiple data tables, summarizing the information in each table in a single paragraph afterwards. They use and state statistics found, to condense their data, maintaining the use of the past tense.
When explaining their results in the discussion/conclusion, the authors address all points commonly included in conclusions. They begin by summarizing the data found and then explain what its implications are. Afterwards, the authors address the importance of their study, as well as its limitations. Similar to the introduction, the authors include past studies, some of which contradict their findings. The authors then explain how these studies are limited, unlike theirs’, giving their study more validity. In their explanation, the authors do not use hedging verbs, stating their findings as fact. This shows their confidence in their findings, eliminating any doubt from the reader in the validity of the claims. Finally, the authors explain the reason why their data is what it is, expand on why it’s important, and give suggestions on how the problem may be solved. All in all, the authors of the article successfully prove that their experiment is valid, through their use of the IMRAD format, the past tense, a consistent passive voice, and selectively using hedging and non-hedging verbs.
References
Klomsten Andersen O, Clarsen B, Garthe I, Morland M, Stensrud, T. 2018 Dec 27. Bone health in elite Norwegian endurance cyclists and runners: a cross-sectional study BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine [Internet]. [cited 2019 Feb 20]; 4:e000449. Available from: doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000449
