12-week live group mentorship
Build the Skills to Confidently Read, Interpret, and Apply Research
Move beyond the abstract. Learn to critically evaluate study methods and measurements, understand common statistical analyses, place individual studies within the broader body of evidence, make better-informed decisions, and communicate science more effectively.
Who this is for
For People Who Want to Understand the Evidence and Make Better-Informed Decisions
Health and Fitness Professionals
Learn how to evaluate research more carefully, determine whether findings are relevant to the clients or athletes you work with, and use evidence to make better-informed decisions in practice.
Educators and Science Communicators
Learn to communicate research to students, clients, colleagues, or an online audience without leaving out the context, limitations, and nuance needed to understand what the evidence actually supports.
Students and Early-Career Researchers
Develop a deeper and practical understanding of research methods, measurements, statistics, and critical assessment that complements what you may already have encountered through formal education.
Fitness Enthusiasts
Become more confident reading research, use evidence to inform your own training and nutrition, and become less dependent on second-hand interpretations.
You Do Not Need a Background in Statistics.
You will learn how we go about making statistical inferences, recognize common statistical tests used across different study designs, and understand what their results can and cannot tell you.
You will not be performing statistical analyses or learning how to use statistical software. The aim is to provide you with a strong foundation and a repeatable process that you can continue applying when exploring research relevant to your own interests, questions, and professional practice.
The problem
Research Is Easier to Access Than Ever. Knowing What to Make of It Is Not.
The challenge is no longer finding research. It is knowing where to start, what to look for, how to interpret the methods and analyses, whether the conclusions are supported by the results, how the study fits with the rest of the evidence, and whether it should influence your decisions or practice.
01
You Can Read a Study and Still Not Know What to Look For
Reading a paper is not the same as critically interpreting it.
Most people can red through the abstract, introduction, discussion, and authors’ conclusion. The challenging part is knowing which details matter, and how the different sections intertwine.
It’s easy to fall back on the authors’ conclusions or someone else’s interpretation, rather than to evaluate the study for yourself.
02
Methods and Statistics Seem Intimidating
Was the study design appropriate for the research question? Were measurements reliable and valid? Why was a particular statistical analysis used?
The goal is not to perform statistical analysis yourself. It is to understand enough to judge whether the methods and results support the conclusions being made.
03
Claims Can Sound Scientific Without Being Supported by the Evidence
A citation or PMID can create a false impression of credibility.
Some claims rely on weak, irrelevant, or “cherry-picked” evidence. Others extrapolate far beyond what a study actually found.
The real challenge is assessing the evidence behind the claim and recognizing when the conclusion goes further than the research allows.
04
Translating Research Into Actionable Practice
An individual study is only one piece of the larger puzzle.
Studies may sometimes appear conflicting. To make sense of them, you need to understand why findings may differ, how each study fits within the broader literature, how meaningful and consistent the effects are, how strong the overall body of evidence is, and whether the findings are relevant to your own training, clients, or athletes.
Research Fundamentals provides you with the foundations and a structured framework for evaluating research more independently and with greater confidence. You will become better able to understand what a study found, how it fits within the broader body of evidence, and whether it is relevant and applicable to your own training or practice.
What SKILLS will YOU develop
Learn to Evaluate — Not Just Consume the Evidence
The aim is not simply to recognize the terminology. You will practice working through research questions, evaluating different forms of evidence, interpreting what the findings mean, and reaching conclusions proportionate to what the evidence can support.
01
Find and Understand the Evidence
- Understand why we use science and how to formulate better research questions.
- Search the scientific literature more effectively.
- Understand common study designs and the hierarchy of evidence.
- Identify stronger and weaker forms of evidence and key information within each section of a research paper.
02
Evaluate Each Study Critically
- Assess participants, interventions, comparison groups, and study designs.
- Examine what was measured, when it was measured, and whether those measurements were reliable and valid.
- Understand common statistical tests and interpret effect sizes, confidence intervals, and p-values.
- Recognize bias, weak reasoning, questionable research practices, and conclusions that extrapolate beyond the available evidence.
03
Synthesize, Apply, and Communicate
- Place individual studies within the broader literature and determine how much confidence to place in their findings.
- Consider the strengths, limitations, consistency, and practical implications of the available evidence.
- Develop broader principles rather than reacting impulsively to every new study.
- Reach better-informed conclusions and communicate science with appropriate context, caution, and nuance.
Twelve Lessons That Will Transform Your Critical Thinking and Improve Your Research Interpretation
Phase 1 — Understanding Science, Evidence, and Research Questions
WEEK 01
Introduction to Science and Evidence-Based Practice
We will begin with the foundations of science and how we generate new knowledge. We will examine what distinguishes scientific from unscientific thinking and what evidence-based practice actually means.
WEEK 02
Research Questions, Evidence Hierarchy, Study Designs, and Finding Research
You will learn how to formulate focused research questions, distinguish between common types of research and study designs, and search for relevant scientific literature more effectively.
Phase 2 — Reading and Critically Interpreting Research Papers
WEEK 03
Anatomy of a Research Paper
We will break a research paper down into its main sections and begin with the title, abstract, and introduction: how they are structured, what purpose they serve, and what information to look for.
WEEK 04
Critically Interpreting the Methods: Study Design and Participants
We will examine concepts such as sample, population, randomization, allocation, inclusion and exclusion criteria, blinding, interventions, standardization, comparison groups, and controls.
WEEK 05
Critically Interpreting the Methods: Measurement, Reliability, Validity, and Generalizability
We will examine what researchers measured, how they measured it, and whether those measurements were relevant to the outcome of interest. We will cover concepts such as reliability, validity, variability, measurement error, generalizability, and common measurements used in exercise science.
Phase 3 — Statistical Foundations, Inferences, and Results
WEEK 06
Fundamental Statistical Concepts: Data, Sample & Population, Distributions, Variation
We will cover samples and populations, different types of data, measures of central tendency and variation, distributions, statistical models, estimation, and effects.
WEEK 07
Statistical Inference, Hypothesis testing, Confidence Intervals, Effect Sizes, Power, and General Reporting
You will learn how observed sample data are used to make inferences about a population of interest. You will develop a practical understanding of Type I and Type II errors, p-values, effect sizes, confidence intervals, statistical power, and the uncertainty surrounding effect estimates.
WEEK 08
Common Statistical Tests and Models
We will examine common statistical tests and models used in exercise science research, how they relate to one another and build upon the same underlying framework, the assumptions behind them, and how to interpret them.
WEEK 09
Interpreting Results, Discussion, and Conclusions
We will work through tables, figures, effect estimates, main effects, time effects, interaction effects, and study conclusions so that you can distinguish the results themselves from the researchers’ interpretation of them.
Phase 4 — Generalizability, Evidence Synthesis, Application, and Communication
WEEK 10
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses often sit near the top of the evidence hierarchy, but they are not without limitations. You will learn how they are structured, how evidence quality is assessed, and how to interpret heterogeneity, pooled estimates, sensitivity analyses, moderator analyses, and common errors within systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
WEEK 11
Common Problems in Research and Research Transparency
We will examine small samples, short intervention durations, selective reporting, p-hacking, HARKing, publication bias, conflicts of interest, and other questionable research practices, alongside open science practices (e.g., pre-registration, preprints), and attempts to improve research transparency.
WEEK 12
Practical Application and Science Communication
Finally, we will bring the whole process together and examine how research should be used to inform practical decision making and be communicated with appropriate caution, nuance, and uncertainty.
What is included
Weekly Live Lessons, Immediate Application, Direct Feedback, and Support
Each lesson builds on the previous one and combines structured teaching with practical examples, guided application, questions, and group discussion.
12 Weekly Live Sessions
Each 90–120-minute session combines live teaching, worked examples, guided application, questions, and group discussion. Every session is recorded.
Practice Between Sessions
You will receive weekly applied assignments and supporting resources designed to reinforce the material covered during each lesson.
Ongoing Support and Feedback
You will have access to a private Discord community where you can ask questions, discuss the material, and receive direct support and feedback from me throughout the mentorship.
The outcome
What You Should Be Better Able to Do After 12 Weeks
By the end of the mentorship, you should be better able to:
- Understand the scientific method, evidence-based practice, and the hierarchy of evidence.
- Formulate focused research questions, and search the scientific literature more effectively.
- Critically assess common online claims, the evidence supporting or opposing them, weak reasoning, pseudoscientific arguments, and conclusions that go beyond the research.
- Understand the structure of a research paper and critically interpret each section.
- Critically assess study methods and common measurements used in exercise science.
- Understand the foundations of statistical inference and interpret common statistical tests within the context of a complete study.
- Critically interpret systematic reviews and meta-analyses and understand how individual study findings fit within the broader body of evidence.
- Assess whether findings are relevant to particular populations, clients, and practical situations.
- Recognize common problems and questionable practices in research, including small sample sizes, selective reporting, p-hacking, publication bias, conflicts of interest.
- Apply research more carefully and communicate science more confidently, with appropriate context, nuance, and uncertainty.
YOUR MENTOR
Hi, I’m Dorian
I’m a PhD candidate at the University of Zagreb, an active researcher, an external associate at the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb, and a hypertrophy and strength coach.
Over the past seven years, I have been involved in planning, conducting, interpreting, and writing research. Since 2022, I have also been communicating scientific evidence online in Croatian and English.
Working across research, teaching, coaching, and science communication has shaped how I approach evidence. It has shown me how valuable a strong foundation in research methods and statistics can be, not only for understanding scientific papers, but also for recognizing misleading claims, unsupported conclusions, and research that may not apply as widely as it initially appears.
More people than ever are exposed to research and “science-based” content. Yet relatively few have been taught how to work through a complete study, critically evaluate its methods and analyses, place its findings within the broader literature, and decide whether and how those findings should be applied in practice.
My aim is to make science more understandable and accessible without removing the methodological details, context, and nuance that give the findings their meaning.
Research Fundamentals is not intended to be an exhaustive course in philosophy of science or advanced statistics. Its purpose is to give you the foundations, tools, and repeatable process needed to evaluate evidence more carefully and reach better-informed conclusions for yourself.
I wanted to build the mentorship I would have found useful when I was first learning how to read and interpret research, one that connects fundamental scientific concepts, critical appraisal, and practical application rather than teaching them as isolated subjects.
Join Research Fundamentals.
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COHORT ENROLLMENT
Closed for 2026. Get Notified When New Group Launches
Recommended by Researchers and Practitioners
Have Any Questions?
Who is this mentorship for?
Research Fundamentals is designed for coaches, trainers, educators, science communicators, students, early-career researchers, fitness enthusiasts, and others who regularly encounter, use, or communicate exercise and nutrition research.
Do I need a university education or statistics background?
No. The mentorship teaches the underlying concepts step by step so that you can understand a study’s primary aim, assess what the researchers did, interpret the results carefully, and consider the practical implications. Basic statistics will be covered throughout the mentorship, but you will not be performing statistical analyses or learning how to use statistical software.
What happens if I miss a live session?
Every live session is recorded. If you are unable to attend or need to leave early, you will be able to watch the recording at a time that suits you. You will also have access to the supporting resources and the private Discord discussion for that week so you can ask any questions that you might have.
How much work is expected between sessions?
There will be a weekly assignment related to each lesson, alongside weekly discussions with me or other participants inside the private Discord. The assignments are designed to help you apply what you learned during the live session. Active participation is strongly encouraged so that you can get the most out of the mentorship.
When will the live sessions take place?
Live sessions will take place every Sunday, beginning on 13 September 2026. To keep the session time consistent for participants across most international time zones, lessons will begin at 13:00 UTC. Each session will last approximately 90–120 minutes.
Is the mentorship limited to exercise and nutrition research?
Examples will primarily be drawn from exercise and nutrition science, but the concepts and appraisal process can also help you assess evidence outside these fields.
What is the refund or cancellation policy?
Consumers may cancel their purchase within 14 days of the purchase date and receive a refund, subject to the conditions described in our Terms & Conditions. Refund requests submitted after the 14-day period may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please review our Terms & Conditions for full details.