Research Evidence

It can be difficult for non-academics to track down sources of research, and to gain access to research studies published in the academic or clinical literature. Therefore we provide summaries of the key research evidence upon which the information in this site is based (under key research summaries), together with full references to all the sources of information we have used (see cited references).

Abstracts of most clinical studies can also be located and obtained for free from PubMed (the US National Library of Medicine) by typing the study details into the PubMed single citation tracker. We provide clickable links for these when we remember to insert them!

Study summaries are organised here according to date of publication. (2014-16; 2012-13; 2010-2011; 2005-2009; pre-2005). New studies will be added as they are published, and selected older studies will be added as we summarise them.

If you have not had much training in how to read and interpret academic papers or research data, the terminology used and the ways in which data are presented can be confusing. In our section on ‘Interpreting research‘ we attempt to de-mystify some of the concepts and phrases that can be difficult to understand (e.g. what are odds ratios, what is a case-control study?).

Finally, because language can sometimes obscure more than it can illuminate, we include a section on Definitions that explains how we use key terms on this site — e.g. what is co-sleeping, what is bed-sharing, and how do they differ? We will add new terminology here as it is invented.