Publication rates of, and attitudes toward, summer research projects: 10-year experience from a single institution in New Zealand

"Excited When They See Their Name in Print": Research Outputs from an Australian Medical Program

To promote evidence-based practice, medical schools offer students opportunities to undertake either elective or mandatory research projects. One important measure of the research program success is student publication rates. In 2006, UNSW Medicine implemented a mandatory research program in the 4th year of the undergraduate medical education program. This study identified student publication rates and explored student and supervisor experiences with the publication process. A retrospective audit of student publications from the 2007, 2011, and 2015 cohorts was undertaken to look at trends over time. Data collected included type of publication and study methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of undergraduate students (n = 11), medical graduates (n = 14), and supervisors (n = 25) and analysed thematically. Student publication rates increased significantly (P = 0.002) from 28% in 2007 to 50.2% in 2015. Students able to negotiate their own project were more likely to publish (P = 0.02). Students reported personal affirmation and development of research skills from publishing their research findings, while graduates noted improved career opportunities. Supervisors expected students to publish but identified the time to publications and student motivation as key factors in achieving publication(s). A high publication rate is possible in a mandatory research program where students can negotiate their own topic and are given protected time. Publications happen after the research project has finished. Critical factors in successful publication include supervisor support and student motivation. Given the importance of the supervisor's role, staff development and faculty support to train and develop a body of skilled supervisors is required.

Medical student interest and participation in research at one rural clinical school: Insights from the last six years

INTRODUCTION

Limited evidence is currently available relating to research acitivity of medical students training in regional or rural areas.

OBJECTIVE

To describe medical student interest and participation in research at The University of Queensland Rural Clinical School (UQRCS).

DESIGN

Annual student expression of interest surveys were collated with records of student research participation maintained at UQRCS from 2017-2022. Additionally, a systematic search was conducted to identify student outputs not captured in internal records. Frequencies and proportions were calculated for all descriptive data along with proportions of students who engaged with a project, and projects that led to a peer-reviewed publication.

FINDINGS

At UQRCS commencement, 55% of research-interested students reported having basic research skills. Thirty-nine percent of research-interested students engaged with a project, most commonly literature reviews (47%) or audits (29%). Thirty-three percent of completed projects led to a peer-reviewed manuscript.

DISCUSSION

Students who engage with a project are unlikely to receive a project in their preferred clinical area and should be informed about the transferrability of research skills. Most students have basic research skills when commencing a project and therefore require ongoing support and mentorship from staff/supervisors.

CONCLUSION

Publication rates of medical students in regional/rural areas are comparable to those reported by metropolitan medical schools (~30%).

Publication Quality Following Short Summer Cancer Research Internships

Publications of research conducted during short-term research education training programs serve as an outcome measure for students' successes and a program's value. We compared the impact of cancer publications from research conducted during a short-term cancer research education training program, to publications by program participants in the years following completion of the training program and earning an academic or professional degree. Bibliometrics and altmetrics from NIH, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and Scopus® that measure publication impact were collected on cancer publications by student interns in the CaRES (Cancer Research Experiences for Students) R25 program from 1999 to 2017; and on cancer publications in subsequent years by program alumni (students who completed CaRES). Publication characteristics and impact measures were described and compared. Of 558 publications, 206 (37%) were related to CaRES internship projects and 352 (63%) related to any cancer research in which program alumni engaged following their internships. CaRES project publications were cited more frequently and held a higher research interest score than later cancer publications by CaRES alumni but appeared in journals having lower impact factors (p < 0.05). A higher proportion of alumni were first authors of their publications as compared to first authorship by interns (p = 0.02). Research conducted during short-term cancer research programs can be scientifically meaningful and of comparable quality to publications by program alumni who engage in cancer research careers.

Assessing publication rates from medical students' mandatory research projects in the Netherlands: a follow-up study of 10 cohorts of medical students

OBJECTIVES

The medical field is facing a clinician-scientist shortage. Medical schools could foster the clinician-scientist workforce by offering students research opportunities. Most medical schools offer elective research programmes. Subsequently, a subset of doctors graduates without any research experience. Mandatory research projects may be more sufficient to develop clinician-scientist, but take more supervision and curricular time. There is limited insight in the scientific outcomes of mandatory research experiences. This study aims to examine publication rates of a mandatory research experience, identify factors associated with publication, and includes postgraduate research engagement.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Prospective follow-up study involving 10 cohorts of medical students' mandatory research projects from Leiden University Medical Center.

PARTICIPANTS

All medical students who conducted their research project between 2008 and 2018 (n=2329) were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Publication rates were defined as peer-reviewed scientific publications, including research papers, reviews, and published meeting abstracts. Postgraduate research engagement was defined as research participation and dissemination of research at scientific conferences or in journals.

RESULTS

In total, 644 (27.7%) of all mandatory research experiences resulted in publication, with students mainly as first (n=984, 42.5%) or second author (n=587, 25.3%) and above world average citation impact (mean normalised journal score 1.29, mean normalised citation score 1.23). Students who conducted their research in an academic centre (adjusted OR 2.82; 95% CI 2.10 to 3.77), extended their research (adjusted OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.35 to 2.20), were involved in an excellency track (adjusted OR 2.08; 95% CI 1.44 to 3.01), or conducted clinical (adjusted OR 2.08; 95% CI 1.15 to 3.74) or laboratory (adjusted OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.16 to 4.01) research published their research more often. Later as junior doctors, this group significantly more often disseminate their research results at scientific conferences (adjusted OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.11 to 3.23) or in journals (adjusted OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.14 to 3.43).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a significant subset of hands-on mandatory research projects with flexible learning pathways result in tangible research output with proper impact and that such successful experiences can be considered as diving board towards a research-oriented career.

Factors Determining Medical Students' Experience in an Independent Research Year During the Medical Program

BACKGROUND

There is ongoing debate about best practice models to support active learning by encouraging medical students to conduct independent research projects. This study explored student satisfaction, experiences, and learning outcomes of a unique, mandatory research program in an Australian medical school.

METHODS

Students were invited to complete an anonymous survey ranking statements using Likert scales and completing open-ended questions. Factors predicting student satisfaction with the research year were analysed using a generalised linear regression model. A content analysis of open-ended questions was conducted.

RESULTS

The survey was completed in October 2019 by 117 of 252 students (46%). The majority (84%) reported satisfaction with the research year. Factors associated with satisfaction were research skills learnt (OR 2.782, 95% CI 1.428-5.421; p < 0.003), supervision and support (OR = 2.587, 95% CI 1.237-5.413; p < 0.012), and meaningfulness and experience (OR = 2.506, 95% CI 1.100-5.708; p < 0.029). Qualitative results confirmed support from the faculty and supervisors, perceiving their research as meaningful, and the opportunity to learn research skills were highly regarded by students.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has shown that learning outcomes for basic research skills and high satisfaction rates can be achieved in a mandatory undergraduate research programme when students have dedicated time for their research, opportunities to negotiate their own project, and good support from faculty and mentors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01340-9.

Sustainable Clinical Academic Training Pathways: A framework for implementation in Oman

Clinical academics—medical doctors with additional training in basic science or clinical research— play a pivotal role in translating biomedical research into practical bedside applications. However, international studies suggest that the proportion of clinical academics relative to the medical workforce is dwindling worldwide. Although efforts to reverse this trend are ongoing in many countries, there is little perceptible dialogue concerning these issues in Oman. This article explores the current status of clinical academic training pathways worldwide, concluding with a framework for the implementation of a dual-degree medical-research training programme in Oman in order to stimulate and develop a sustainable national clinical academic workforce.