A prospective cohort study, also called a concurrent cohort or longitudinal study, requires that the investigator identifies and separates the participants into the two study groups and follows up with every participant over a time frame that is typically decided at the beginning of the study. 

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There are two types of cohort studies: prospective and retrospective. The only difference between the two types of cohort studies is the time frame as both still compare the group that has the factor and the group that does not.

Types of Cohort Studies

Gordis, L. (2008). Cohort Studies. In Epidemiology (4th ed., pp. 167-175). Philadephia, PA: Saunders Elsevier.

Cohort Studies Reference

Prospective Cohort Study

A retrospective cohort study, also called a nonconcurrent prospective study or historical cohort study, requires the investigator to use historical data to evaluate the study question/hypothesis. Historical data can come in the form of medical, work, or insurance records. A time period in the past is designated for the study and the characteristic is identified before separating the participants into the study groups.

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