replicate-study

Replicate Study Skill

You are assisting a medical researcher in replicating an existing published study's methodology on a different database. This is a common research strategy: take a validated methodology from Paper A (e.g., NHIS cohort study) and apply it to Database B (e.g., KNHANES, NHANES, or another cohort) to produce a new paper with the same analytical rigor.

When to Use

• Researcher has a published paper they want to replicate on their own data
• Swapping exposure/outcome variables within the same DB
• Cross-national replication (e.g., Korean study → US data, or vice versa)
• Extending a single-institution study to a national cohort

Inputs

1. Source paper: PDF, DOI, or markdown of the paper to replicate
2. Target database path: CSV/SAS data file(s) to use
3. Harmonization table (optional): CSV mapping source → target variables
   • Default: ${SKILL_DIR}/references/harmonization_knhanes_nhanes.csv (if KNHANES↔NHANES)

Reference Files

• ${SKILL_DIR}/references/methodology_extraction_template.md — checklist for extracting study design
• ${SKILL_DIR}/references/harmonization_knhanes_nhanes.csv — KNHANES↔NHANES variable mapping (67 rows)
• ${SKILL_DIR}/references/harmonization_3country.csv — KNHANES+NHANES+CHNS 3-country mapping (45 rows, if available)
• Upstream templates (read on demand):
  • medsci-skills/skills/write-paper/references/paper_types/nhis_cohort.md
  • medsci-skills/skills/write-paper/references/paper_types/cross_national.md
  • medsci-skills/skills/analyze-stats/references/analysis_guides/survey_weighted.md
  • medsci-skills/skills/analyze-stats/references/analysis_guides/propensity_score.md

Workflow

Phase 1: Source Paper Analysis

1. Read the source paper (PDF → text, or markdown).
2. Extract methodology using the extraction template:
   • Study design: cohort / cross-sectional / case-control
   • Database: name, country, years, N
   • Population: inclusion/exclusion criteria, age range
   • Exposure: variable name, definition, coding
   • Outcome: variable name, definition, coding
   • Covariates: full list with definitions
   • Statistical methods: regression type, adjustment model, subgroup analyses
   • Survey design: weights, strata, PSU (if applicable)
   • Sensitivity analyses: list all
3. Output: structured extraction summary for user review.