Facilitators and Barriers for Young Medical Doctors Writing Their First Manuscript for Publication

The Utrecht University Honours Program review project: example based scientific publishing training aimed at bachelor medical students

INTRODUCTION

Medical undergraduate students receive limited education on scholarly publishing. However, publishing experiences during this phase are known to influence study and career paths. The medical bachelor Honours Program (HP) at Utrecht University initiated a hands-on writing and publishing course, which resulted in nine reviews published in internationally peer reviewed academic journals. We wanted to share the project set-up, explore the academic development of the participating students and determine the impact of the reviews on the scientific community.

METHODS

Thirty-one out of 50 alumni completed a digital retrospective questionnaire on for example, development of skills and benefit for their studies and career. Publication metrics of the HP review papers were retrieved from Web of Science.

RESULTS

This hands-on project provides a clear teaching method on academic writing and scholarly publishing in the bachelor medical curriculum. Participants were able to obtain and improve writing and publishing skills. The output yielded well-recognized scientific papers and valuable learning experiences. 71% of the participating students published at least one additional paper following this project, and 55% of the students indicated the project influenced their academic study and/or career path. Nine manuscripts were published in journals with an average impact factor of 3.56 and cited on average 3.73 times per year.

DISCUSSION

This course might inspire other medical educators to incorporate similar projects successfully into their curriculum. To this end, a number of recommendations with regard to supervision, time investment and group size are given.

The Milestones of Clinical Research for Young Generalist Physicians: Conducting and Publishing Studies

Clinical physicians have the potential to contribute to the progress of medicine and healthcare through research based on their diagnostic and treatment practices and supported by their educational background. However, in the field of general medicine in Japan, publication of such research in international journals may be limited by challenges in English proficiency and the lack of opportunities to focus on specific research themes amidst the diverse range of diseases treated in clinical practice. Furthermore, novice researchers without prior research experience may lack a comprehensive understanding of the overall research process, including study design and article publication. To address these challenges, we developed a set of 22 milestones that highlight the necessary skills required to conduct and successfully publish clinical research. This guideline will enable novice researchers to identify and address individual barriers to undertaking a research project. These milestones are categorized into five parts: 1) preparing to undertake research; 2) conducting clinical research; 3) writing the article; 4) submitting and achieving acceptance for publication; and 5) advanced skills. For each part, we provide detailed recommendations on the specific steps and methods involved. By working through these 22 milestones, novice researchers can objectively assess their own level of achievement as researchers and continuously clarify the next step of each round of research. Through this set of milestones, we aim to increase the quality and quantity of research publications in general medicine in academic journals, ideally enhancing the overall research process and advancing the field of medicine and healthcare overall.

From Targeted Needs Assessment to Course Ready for Implementation-A Model for Curriculum Development and the Course Results

This article contributes guidance on how to approach the development of a course curriculum in general and presents a specific example from medical research education. The purpose of this study is to discuss a model for translating needs assessments of targeted learners into a course curriculum. The model employs established methods for data collection, such as different interview approaches and surveys. The authors argue that there is value in going from exploratory in-depth qualitative data collection methods to more conclusive rigorous quantitative methods when developing a course curriculum. In this way, the model is especially sensitive to the needs of targeted learners in the initial phase and at the same time offers a systematic and practical approach to curriculum development. The model is presented step-by-step with the aid of an empirical example of how to assess the needs of medical doctors in the publication process and develop an introductory course in writing an initial manuscript for publication. The article concludes that the proposed model gives curriculum developers a unique opportunity to explore the needs of targeted learners in depth, while systematically aiming towards conclusive decisions on curriculum content ready for implementation.

Development of a Scientific Writing Course to Increase Fellow Scholarship

Physicians in training are often taught how to conduct original research but may lack the skills necessary to write their results in a paper for the peer-reviewed medical literature. To help our critical care fellows increase their publication rates, we implemented an 8-hour scientific writing course that provides a structured approach to writing an academic research paper. We have demonstrated an increase in publication rate during fellowship from an average of 0.7 manuscripts per fellow just before course inception to 3.7 manuscripts per fellow in the current graduating class. We highlight strategies for developing a writing course aligned with adult learning theory within three key areas: planning, pedagogy, and implementation. Planning strategies center around creating a case for change, including multiple stakeholders with diverse backgrounds, including the research mentor, and ensuring accountability among stakeholders. Pedagogical strategies focus on harnessing the power of experiential learning, considering a flipped classroom approach, and peer teaching to leverage social and cognitive congruence. Implementation strategies include breaking down the writing process into manageable tasks, organizing the writing process according to learner needs, using peer review processes to drive learning, and celebrating the accomplishments of learners within the course. These strategies represent broad initiatives that can be tailored to local training needs and instituted across a wide variety of teaching platforms.