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RMTP 2219: Research on a Case Study Topic (Cote)

This is a 'get started' guide for researching RMTP case study topics related to massage therapy. The range of possible topics is very broad. Past examples include: athletics, recovery from injury, trauma (PSTD, concussion, traumatic brain injury, etc.), temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJD), scar tissue, eczema, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

Searching the literature can be challenging, because there is relatively little direct massage therapy research conducted, compared with fields such as nursing or medicine.

Alternate/related terms for "massage" that may help with your search:

  • myofascial therapy
  • myofascial release
  • manual therapy

About peer review

About articles in science & health sciences journals

Primary literature: Original research

  • Describe the findings of original observations or experiments
  • Should provide an abstract, methods, results and points for discussion.
  • Published in scholarly journals.
  • The peer review process is ESSENTIAL to safeguard the quality and integrity of original research articles.

Secondary literature: Reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses

  • Experts summarize current research in a particular area of study, highlighting recent research studies.
  • Good way to get an overview of current research in a field.
  • Systematic reviews use systematic methods to collect, appraise and synthesize original research findings.
  • Published in scholarly journals or in specialized databases such as the  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Tertiary literature: Reference sources 

  • Information packaged at an introductory level for readers who are learners or new to a topic.
  • Examples include textbooks, encyclopedias, Wikipedia, websites such as MEDLINE Plus from the US National Library of Medicine.
  • Credible tertiary sources may provide credible information, but they are NOT considered peer-reviewed.
  • Use them to get an overview of an unfamiliar topic so you are better equipped to look for scholarly articles in journals.