Who does research apply to?
Who is represented in the evidence?
To understand a research finding, we also need to understand who was studied and how that affects its relevance elsewhere.
Generalisability
Does this apply to my situation?
Generalisability is about relevance to people, places and circumstances beyond the study sample.
It is rarely a simple yes or no. Evidence may be robust for one group yet uncertain for another. We describe both direct applicability and its limits.
The sample is part of the answer.
Age and life stage
Were children, adolescents, adults or older people included? Were pregnant, postpartum or menopausal participants included?
Why it matters: Findings among postmenopausal adults do not automatically apply to adolescents.
Bodies, sex and reporting
What did researchers record: biological characteristics, legal sex, gender identity or something else?
Why it matters: We use the study's definitions and do not assume a group was represented when this was not reported.
Country and health system
Where were participants studied, and how does the local health system work?
Why it matters: Access to screening and treatment may affect relevance elsewhere.
Health and treatment
Which diagnoses, severity levels, medicines and other characteristics were included?
Why it matters: An average for a selected sample is not an individual prognosis.
Background and living conditions
Did the study describe ethnicity, income, education, language or disability?
Why it matters: When details are missing, we say they were not reported or not yet verified.
Recruitment and dropout
Who was invited, who agreed and who left the study?
Why it matters: A large sample can still be unrepresentative if particular groups are systematically absent.
The researcher's address is not the participant's address.
An article can be written at a Norwegian university using data from other countries. An international research team may study participants at only one hospital.
We therefore distinguish researchers' institutional affiliations, study sites and participants' geographical backgrounds. “International” alone does not describe the sample.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Author affiliation | Where researchers work |
| Study site | Where data are gathered or participants examined |
| Participant sample | Who is actually included in the analysis |
| Not reported | The source does not give this information |
| Not verified | We have not yet checked sufficiently |
Laboratory and animal research helps us understand mechanisms. It does not itself show that a treatment works or is safe in humans. We identify what or whom a study examined.