The Research Process Writing in the Health Sciences Part I

Why Publish? Opportunity to expand or share knowledge/ideas in a chosen field or discipline Ensure recognition of “ownership” of a particular idea or theoretical advance Career-enhancing (publish or perish) Personal gratification – seeing name in print Acquire valuable practice in working with the written word

Opportunity to expand or share knowledge/ideas in a chosen field or discipline

Ensure recognition of “ownership” of a particular idea or theoretical advance

Career-enhancing (publish or perish)

Personal gratification – seeing name in print

Acquire valuable practice in working with the written word

Research : studious inquiry or examination; especially: investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical applications of such new or revised theories or laws. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary

Research : studious inquiry or examination; especially: investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical applications of such new or revised theories or laws.

Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary

Or … Research : “ … the art of muddling through.” Ahmed Riahi-Belhaoui

Research : “ … the art of muddling through.”

Ahmed Riahi-Belhaoui

“Arranging the pencils: preliminary steps” Decide to write the paper FINER criteria (Feasibility / Interesting / Novel / Ethical / Relevant) Confer with a mentor or a possible collaborator Attend presentations on under-explored, but interesting research topics Create a timetable

Decide to write the paper

FINER criteria (Feasibility / Interesting / Novel / Ethical / Relevant)

Confer with a mentor or a possible collaborator

Attend presentations on under-explored, but interesting research topics

Create a timetable

Preliminary Steps Questions Do you have access to the population/objects to the studied? Problem should have a clinical and/or educational significance – the “so what?” Time? Costs? Other Expertise?

Do you have access to the population/objects to the studied?

Problem should have a clinical and/or educational significance – the “so what?”

Time?

Costs?

Other Expertise?

Research Process Road Map Define the Problem/Question Determine author (s) Select the audience/target readers Do a Literature Review Identify a target journal Research Design

Define the Problem/Question

Determine author (s)

Select the audience/target readers

Do a Literature Review

Identify a target journal

Research Design

Characteristics of a Good Research Question Original Of interest to the researcher and the outside world Hypothesis can be formulated & tested Study feasible in terms of time, ethics, money, materials and expertise Results potentially important and may change current ideas and/or practice Potential to develop further projects with similar theme

Original

Of interest to the researcher and the outside world

Hypothesis can be formulated & tested

Study feasible in terms of time, ethics, money, materials and expertise

Results potentially important and may change current ideas and/or practice

Potential to develop further projects with similar theme

Developing the Hypothesis In general, a hypothesis has four parts Subject group: who/what are you interested in studying Treatment or exposure: what is being done to part of all of your subject group Outcome measure: how or in what manner is the treatment or exposure going to be assessed Control group: who are you comparing this against State the hypothesis in the “If ….., then …”

In general, a hypothesis has four parts

Subject group: who/what are you interested in studying

Treatment or exposure: what is being done to part of all of your subject group

Outcome measure: how or in what manner is the treatment or exposure going to be assessed

Control group: who are you comparing this against

State the hypothesis in the “If ….., then …”

Responsible Conduct of Research: Authorship Decide who is on first (second and third) Assign responsibility early Ethical Issues Institutional guidelines on authorship/publication practices COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics http://www.publicationethics.org.uk/guidelines Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journal (ICMJE) http://www.icmje.org U of Minnesota: Office of the Vice President for Research http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/policies/Authorship.htm

Decide who is on first (second and third)

Assign responsibility early

Ethical Issues

Institutional guidelines on authorship/publication practices

COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics http://www.publicationethics.org.uk/guidelines

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journal (ICMJE) http://www.icmje.org

U of Minnesota: Office of the Vice President for Research http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/policies/Authorship.htm

Responsible Conduct of Research Scientific fraud Conflicts of Interest Bias Confounding

Scientific fraud

Conflicts of Interest

Bias

Confounding

Literature Review – Helps: Clarify or refine the problem Verify that this is an important problem which needs answering Fills in gaps of existing knowledge Find measurement instruments Identify researchers with similar interests Identify or refine target journal selection Don’t limit to just what is available electronically

Clarify or refine the problem

Verify that this is an important problem which needs answering

Fills in gaps of existing knowledge

Find measurement instruments

Identify researchers with similar interests

Identify or refine target journal selection

Don’t limit to just what is available electronically

Literature Review - II Common databases MEDLINE Web of Science PsycINFO CINAHL Cochrane Library Others Embase CAB Abstracts

Common databases

MEDLINE

Web of Science

PsycINFO

CINAHL

Cochrane Library

Others

Embase

CAB Abstracts

RefWorks http://www.lib.umn.edu/site/refworks.phtml Check target journals “Instructions to Authors” for required citation style http://mulford.meduohio.edu/instr Demos PubMed & Ovid MEDLINE demo ( http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu ) Links to other importation guides http://www.lib.umn.edu/site/refimport.phtml

Check target journals “Instructions to Authors” for required citation style http://mulford.meduohio.edu/instr

Demos

PubMed & Ovid MEDLINE demo ( http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu )

Links to other importation guides http://www.lib.umn.edu/site/refimport.phtml

Choosing a Journal: Part I About the article: Key point to be made/desired impact Target audience Complexity of the issue – is it broad or narrow? Technicality of the methodology Time lines / timeliness Geographical limits

About the article:

Key point to be made/desired impact

Target audience

Complexity of the issue – is it broad or narrow?

Technicality of the methodology

Time lines / timeliness

Geographical limits

Choosing a Journal: Part II Journals differ in terms of: Degree of competitiveness Disciplinary background Intended audience Importance attached to theory and methods Degree of dogmatism Format, style and article length Turnaround time Refereeing procedures

Journals differ in terms of:

Degree of competitiveness

Disciplinary background

Intended audience

Importance attached to theory and methods

Degree of dogmatism

Format, style and article length

Turnaround time

Refereeing procedures

Choosing a Journal: Part III About the potential journal Discipline/subject (s) covered Level of technicality Circulation numbers and location Nature of the target audience Frequency of publication / publication lag Specific relevance of articles already published Prestige/accessibility/impact factors Costs involved

About the potential journal

Discipline/subject (s) covered

Level of technicality

Circulation numbers and location

Nature of the target audience

Frequency of publication / publication lag

Specific relevance of articles already published

Prestige/accessibility/impact factors

Costs involved

Categories of Manuscripts Articles Original theoretical and/or empirical research Review articles or essays Practitioner-orientated articles Educational technique Books Chapters in books Book reviews

Articles

Original theoretical and/or empirical research

Review articles or essays

Practitioner-orientated articles

Educational technique

Books

Chapters in books

Book reviews

Research Designs Qualitative Research: Gather non-numerical data to help explain or develop a theory about a relationship Phenomenology Ethnography Grounded theory Case study Quantitative Research: Numerical analysis/research Descriptive Experimental

Qualitative Research: Gather non-numerical data to help explain or develop a theory about a relationship

Phenomenology

Ethnography

Grounded theory

Case study

Quantitative Research: Numerical analysis/research

Descriptive

Experimental

Overview of Research Study Designs Clancy, MJ. 2002 Overview of research designs. Emerg Med J 19:546-549

The Research Process Kuhlthau CC. 1991. Inside the search process: information seeking from the user’s perspective. J Am Soc Info Sci 42(5):361-371.