Does scientific research advocate hitting a child as a form of punishment at any point? When would it be okay?

Many of the articles I read contained interviews with parents, where they shared various situations where they found it necessary to spank or correct their child's behavior with physical contact.

• 94% of 3- and 4-year-olds have been spanked at least once during the past year, according to one study.

• 74% of mothers believe spanking is acceptable for kids ages 1 to 3, says another study.

Parents who support spanking often use one of the following arguments:

• Spanking is an effective way to manage behavior.
• Hitting children may increase misbehavior. A vast study showed that the more parents spanked children for antisocial behavior, the more that behavior increased. Hitting children teaches them that it is acceptable to hit others who are smaller and weaker. 
• I got hit when I was a kid and I turned out OK.
• Many adults look back on the times they were spanked and justify why it was done. It is difficult to believe that people that love us would intentionally hurt us. So we find a a reason to excuse that hurt by saying, "I deserved it". While many believed they, "turned out OK", research suggests not being spanked would have helped them turn out to be healthier. 
• If we don’t spank children, they’ll grow up rotten.
• The bible says, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”

The only place I found support for hitting children were on blogs or other non-credible sources. The fact is the research is clear and says that it is never okay to hit children as a form of corrective behavior. 

http://www.parenting.com/article/is-it-okay-to-spank?page=0,3

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/spanking.aspx