Training In Research Methodology Research Articles

Challenges library and information science (LIS) postgraduate students encounter in research topic selection

This study examines research topic selection among LIS postgraduate students in Tanzania. A quantitative approach was used to collect the data, and purposive sampling was used to recruit a total of 105 respondents. Key findings showed that research topic selection is influenced by how extensively the topic has been researched, postgraduates’ personal interests and whether the topic has been previously researched by a student. Insufficient research knowledge, little global LIS research exposure and insufficient supervisory leading roles affect research topic selection. Findings showed male and doctorate postgraduate students face more challenges in LIS research topic selection. The study concludes that LIS postgraduates’ research topic selection is challenging due to insufficient research methodology training and foundations. The study suggests research methodology training for supervisors and students, revising LIS curricula and appropriate research guidance to LIS postgraduates would be important in addressing the challenges found. The study also recommends the establishment of an LIS national repository centre with research content accessible to all students.

COLLABORATION ON RESEARCH METHODOLOGY TRAINING THROUGH VISITING MALAYSIAN PROFESSORS FOR LECTURERS IN INDONESIA

Improving the quality of research and development in the manufacturing industry is the main focus in the community service entitled "Collaborative Research Methodology Training Through Visiting Professor Malaysia for Lecturers in Indonesia". The initiation of this collaboration was carried out by the Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta, Pancasakti University Tegal, and STT Warga as a response to concerns about the quality of research by lecturers and students in Indonesia. Through research carried out by lecturers and students, whether in final assignments, theses, theses or dissertations, it is hoped that there will be increased academic activity and a deeper understanding of current developments in the manufacturing industry. In order to achieve this goal, this program involves visiting professors from Malaysia to provide research methodology training to lecturers in Indonesia. Through this collaboration, it is hoped that synergy will be created between the visiting professor's experience and knowledge and the local Indonesian context. It is hoped that this training will be able to improve the quality of research carried out by lecturers, so that it can make a positive contribution to the development of the manufacturing industry in Indonesia. Thus, this collaboration is a strategic step in improving academic quality and research contribution to the development of the manufacturing industry in Indonesia.

Do we really apply evidence-based-recommendations to spine surgery? Results of an international survey

ObjectiveThis international survey investigated Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) in spine surgery by measuring its acceptance among spine surgeons. It assessed their understanding of EBM and how they apply it in practice by analyzing responses to various clinical scenarios..Materials and methodsFollowing the CHERRIES guidelines, an e-survey was distributed to multiple social media forums for neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Telegram and circulated further through email via the authors’ network. Three hundred participants from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania completed the survey.ResultsOur study revealed that 67.7% (n = 203) of respondents used EBM in their practice, and 97.3% (n = 292) believed training in research methodology and EBM was necessary for the practice of spine surgery. Despite this endorsement of using EBM in spine surgery, we observed varied responses to how EBM is applied in practice based on example scenarios. The responders who had additional training tended to obey EBM guidelines more than those who had no additional training. Most surgeons responded as always or sometimes prescribing methylprednisolone to patients with acute spinal cord injury. Other significant differences were identified between geographical regions, training, practice settings, and other factors.ConclusionsMost respondents used EBM in practice and believed training in research methodology and EBM is necessary for spine surgery; however, there were significant variations on how to use them per case. Thus, the appropriate application of EBM in clinical settings for spinal surgery must be further studied.

Building Equitable Neuroscience Research Collaborations in Resource-limited Settings.

The burden of noncommunicable neurological disorders, such as stroke, dementia, and headache disorders, are on the rise in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), while neuroinfectious diseases remain a major concern. The development of neuroscience research aimed at defining the burden of neurological diseases across the lifespan, as well as optimizing diagnosis and treatment strategies, is fundamental to improving neurological health in resource-limited settings. One of the key factors to advancing neuroscience research in LMICs is the establishment of effective collaborations based on responsible and trustworthy partnerships between local scientists in LMICs and international collaborators. LMIC researchers face many logistical, institutional, and individual level challenges as they embark on their neuroscience research journey. Despite these challenges, there are opportunities for improving LMIC investigator-led research that should focus on human and institutional infrastructure development. With regard to human capacity building, potential areas for offering support include enhancing research methodology training, offering instruction in manuscript and grant-writing, institutionalizing mentorship programs, and providing opportunities to conduct funded, mentored research to disseminate in high-impact journals. The foundational elements required for implementing and optimizing neuroscience research within an institution include an institutional review board, mentorship programs, data management, research administration, and laboratory facilities. This institutional capacity varies significantly across and within countries, and many rely on collaborations with better-resourced institutions to initiate research. Successful equitable collaborations ensure the engagement of all local and international stakeholders, as well as implementation of a self-sustaining long-term program. Building research capacity in LMICs is an essential endeavor that requires ongoing commitment to training independent scientists. As research capacity increases, LMIC institutions and governments should consider developing competitive research grant programs to support innovative studies led by local researchers, foster regional collaborations, and hence create a sustainable and independent neuroscience research environment.

Evaluating a research methodology workshop among postgraduate students using Kirkpatrick's model.

In this era of evidence-based medicine, only systematic research can help in providing judicious and precise healthcare to individual patients based on updated knowledge and skills. However, many medical professionals do not feel competent and confident enough to conduct research. One of the reasons could be the lack of a research-based curriculum in undergraduate courses. The National Medical Council has also stressed the need for formal training in research methodology for healthcare professionals. The research methodology workshops help to familiarize the participants with basic, clinical, and translational research required to impart optimum patient care. The objective of our study was to evaluate a research methodology workshop conducted for postgraduate students by assessing the participant's knowledge, feedback, and expected impact using Kirkpatrick's evaluation model. A quasi-experimental, single-group study was conducted among 132 first-year postgraduate students. The four levels of Kirkpatrick's model were applied for evaluation. Feedback forms, scores of the pretest and posttest, quality of the research proposal drafted by the postgraduates for their thesis, and finally successful submission of the research proposal were the components used to evaluate the four levels of outcome of Kirkpatrick's model. Data collected were compiled and tabulated into MS Excel. Proportions were calculated for categorical variables and mean and standard deviation (SD) for scores. A comparison of means between pre- and postworkshop scores was made with paired t-test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0 software. Out of 132 participants, 29% (38) were males and 71% (94) were females. The mean ± SD pretest and posttest scores at a 95% confidence interval were 10.55 ± 2.537 and 12.43 ± 2.484, respectively. The difference was found to be statistically significant by paired sample t-test (P < 0.001). Participant feedback is vital for improving research methodology workshops. The workshop met the overall requirements of the participants. There was a significant improvement in the knowledge of participants after the workshop completion.

Assessment of the Need for Training in Clinical Pharmacology Research on Traditional Medicine among Modern Medicine Practitioners: A Questionnaire-based Study

Introduction: Training young doctors is essential for carrying out need-based research. The field of Traditional Medicine (TM) has made significant contributions to modern medicine, and there is unlimited scope for exploring it further in search of improved treatment options. However, there is a lack of systematic research studies on traditional medicines. It was, therefore, considered necessary to assess the interest and awareness among modern medicine practitioners regarding Traditional Medicine Research (TMR). Aim: To assess the need for training in TMR among modern medicine practitioners. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, from March 2020 to September 2020 among modern medicine practitioners from the Western region of India. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the level of training in research methodology, research experience including TMR, areas for training, attitude towards training in TMR, challenges in TMR, and therapeutic areas to focus TMR efforts. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Out of 109 participants, 96 (88.1%) were trained in research methodology. At least one research project was undertaken by 91 (83.5%) participants. Ninety-seven percent of participants felt that TMR was necessary. TMR was conducted by 19 (17.4%) participants. Approximately 65 (59.6%) participants felt that conducting TMR poses challenges such as lack of funds, infrastructure, lack of belief in TM, unavailability of literature pertaining to TM, lack of expertise, and lack of corporate attention and marketing. Therapeutic areas identified to focus research efforts included lifestyle-related disorders, diabetes mellitus, cancer, ageing, allergic disorders, osteoarthritis, and obesity. Conclusion: All the participants expressed the need to undergo training in TMR. However, the experience of conducting TMR was limited. Lack of funds, infrastructure, and expertise were mentioned as the main hurdles in undertaking TMR. It is essential to conduct systematic and need-based training programs for modern medicine practitioners in basic research methodology and TMR.

Assessment of knowledge and self-efficacy among health professionals and clinical scientists following the Cameroon HIV/AIDS Research Forum (CAM-HERO 2022) research methodology and bioethics training.

To inform public health policymakers that the generation of local evidence-based knowledge is key. Research capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) to generate medical knowledge is often weak and insufficiently resourced and efforts to tackle these challenges are not standardized. Continuous research training can equip researchers with the required knowledge and research skills, but its effectiveness largely depends on the quality and pertinence of the training methods used. We aim to assess the effectiveness of the Cameroon HIV/AIDS Research Forum (CAM-HERO) 2022 Research Methodology and Bioethics Training with the objective to describe the knowledge gained and the self-efficacy of health professionals and clinical scientists. A survey was conducted during the one-day training among health professionals and clinical scientists. Participants took an online self-administered questionnaire before and after the training related to the topics taught. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: 1) 18 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) to assess knowledge and 2) Nine items to evaluate self-efficacy using a five-point Likert scale. Mean scores were calculated, analysed, and compared using paired t-test for the pre- and post-test results. A total of 30 participants (57% women) completed the socio-demographic form. The median age (IQR) of participants was 33.5 (13.3) years. We registered 38 respondents for the pre-test and 33 respondents for the post-test. There was a rise in knowledge mean score from 13.0 to 14.8 (p=0.001) and an improvement in the perception of self-efficacy with a mean score increase from 2.9 to 3.7 (p < 0.001). Knowledge and perception of self-efficacy on research methodology improved among participants after the training. These results suggest that the CAM-HERO 2022 training had an immediate positive impact on skills and self-efficacy. Hence, we recommend the implementation of this training on a larger scale, periodically, and with long-term follow-up to evaluate its impact.

Radiation Oncology Research in Asia: Current Status and a Peep Into the Future From the Federation of Asian Organizations for Radiation Oncology.

This survey was conducted to assess the current research practices among the 14 members of the Federation of Asian Organizations for Radiation Oncology (FARO) committee, to inform measures for research capacity building in these nations. A 19-item electronic survey was sent to two research committee members from the 14 representative national radiation oncology organizations (N = 28) that are a part of FARO. Thirteen of the 14 member organizations (93%) and 20 of 28 members (71.5%) responded to the questionnaire. Only 50% of the members stated that an active research environment existed in their country. Retrospective audits (80%) and observational studies (75%) were the most common type of research conducted in these centers. Lack of time (80%), lack of funding (75%), and limited training in research methodology (40%) were cited as the most common hindrances in conducting research. To promote research initiatives in the collaborative setting, 95% of the members agreed to the creation of site-specific groups, with head and neck (45%) and gynecological cancers (25%) being the most preferred disease sites. Projects focused on advanced external beam radiotherapy implementation (40%), and cost-effectiveness studies (35%) were cited as some of the potential areas for future collaboration. On the basis of the survey results, after result discussion and the FARO officers meeting, an action plan for the research committee has been created. The results from the survey and the initial policy structure may allow facilitation of radiation oncology research in the collaborative setting. Centralization of research activities, funding support, and research-directed training are underway to help foster a successful research environment in the FARO region.

Perceived Attitudes, Perceptions and Barriers towards Scholarly Publication

&#x0D; The purpose of this study is to investigate researchers’ attitudes, perceptions, and barriers toward scholarly publication. The current research can be a foundation for conversations on removing obstacles to scholarly publication. A total of 284 researchers participated in the present study. This quantitative analysis is based on a structured questionnaire through convenient sampling. For gathering data, a self-administered questionnaire was developed. The author used descriptive statistics to examine the data. Half (50 %) of the respondents had 1-2 years of research experience. Most of the participants (71.8 %) had participated in a session on research methods, and nearly half (48.9 %) had attended a session on article writing. Additionally, close to one-third (29.2 %) had written 1-2 articles, and more than half (59.5 %) had published research articles in a journal. The scholarly publication contributes to the academic growth of the institution, research enhances professional development and lack of research skills was the most prominent item considering attitudes, perceptions and barriers towards scholarly publication respectively. Across the tested analysis, gender has no significant difference, while age has a substantial difference in participating in conducting research. Gender has no significant difference, while age significantly correlates with article publication. Experience impact in conducting meaningful research, whereas attending research methodology training correlates with publishing articles and attending an article-writing workshop correlates with published articles. Incessant and collective consideration is imperative to overcome barriers to publishing scholarly articles. Moreover, training in research methodology, article writing, mentorship, facilities and funding are prerequisites for conducting research.

Meeting the Shared Goals of a Student-Selected Component: Pilot Evaluation of a Collaborative Systematic Review.

Research methodology is insufficiently featured in undergraduate medical curricula. Student-selected components are designed to offer some research opportunities but frequently fail to meet student or supervisor expectations, such as completion or publication. We hypothesized that a collaborative, educational approach to a systematic review (SR), whereby medical students worked together, may improve student experience and increase success. This study aimed to establish whether offering a small team of students the opportunity to take part in the screening phase of SRs led by an experienced postgraduate team could enhance the learning experience of students, overcome the barriers to successful research engagement, and deliver published output. Postgraduate researchers from the University of Cambridge led a team of 14 medical students to work on 2 neurosurgical SRs. One student was appointed as the lead for each SR. All students were provided with training on SR methodology and participated in title and abstract screening using Rayyan software. Students completed prepilot, midscreening, and postscreening questionnaires on their research background, perceptions, knowledge, confidence, and experience. Questions were scored on a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree). Of the 14 students involved, 29% (n=4) reported that they had received sufficient training in research methodology at medical school. Positive trends in student knowledge, confidence, and experience of SR methodology were noted across the 3 questionnaire time points. Mean responses to "I am satisfied with the level of guidance I am receiving," "I am enjoying being involved in the SR process," and "I could not gain this understanding of research from passive learning e.g., textbook or lecture" were greater than 8.0 at all time points. Students reported "being involved in this research has made me more likely to do research in the future" (mean 8.57, SD 1.50) and that "this collaborative SR improved my research experience" (mean 8.50, SD 1.56). This collaborative approach appears to be a potentially useful method of providing students with research experience; however, it requires further evaluation.

Research Methodology Training for Middle School Teachers to Improve the Quality of Educational Research Proposals

To become a professional teacher writing and publishing scientific papers is important. Most teachers consider that research is not an obligation that needs to be done and is considered a difficult thing. So that this community service activity is focused on improving the skills of teachers in compiling and publishing educational research through research methodology training. The activity was carried out at Vocational Education (VE) of Yayasan Pendidikan Islam Nurul Huda followed by 2 lecturers as presenters and 31 teachers. The training activities consist of 3 stages, namely preparation, implementation, and evaluation of training. The results of the evaluation of activities through the distribution of pre-test and post-test questionnaires obtained the ability of teachers in the knowledge of preparation of teaching materials by 69.677% and 88.226%, so there was an increase of 18.548%. Based on the sample paired t-test, the value of Sig. (2-tailed) ρ-value is 0.000. So, training activities are very effective in improving the competence in preparing research proposals for VE teachers. This shows that there is an increase in the preparation of educational research proposals through research methodology training for teachers in VE. This activity is beneficial because, in addition to adding skills, this activity is an update of knowledge and experience.

Perceptions of medical undergraduate students toward biomedical research - A sequential, explanatory, mixed-method study from Puducherry, South India.

Biomedical research is not given adequate attention during undergraduation due to the failure of the medical curriculum to motivate the students to take up research, teach the research methodology, and emphasize the scope of research in the future. Our objective was to study the perceptions of medical undergraduate students toward biomedical research and to explore the facilitators and barriers to biomedical research. This was an explanatory, sequential, mixed-method study. Consenting medical undergraduate students, irrespective of their previous contribution to research, were interviewed by a pretested questionnaire concerning biomedical research, its barriers, and facilitators. For the qualitative component, two focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among students in the nonclinical and clinical phases. Data were analyzed and expressed as percentages. Thematic manual content analysis of the transcribed manuscripts was performed. This study included 553 participants. Only 5.52% had previous experience undertaking research. Self-interest and acquiring deeper knowledge were identified as drivers. Lack of motivation, proper guidance, and training in research methodology was found to be the barrier among 90% of the subjects. The FGD reflected the perceptions of students and variations in their ideologies toward taking up research. It becomes important to analyze the factors that promote or avert a student from taking up research. A thorough investigation in this regard will be helpful for future cohorts of medical students and will impact their decisions on taking up research and in seeking a career in research-based fields.

Attitudes and Perceived Barriers to Research Among Residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Trinidad and Tobago: A National Multicenter Cross-sectional Study.

High-quality research forms the basis of evidence-based practice and sets the foundation for trainees to develop critical thinking skills and approach clinical problems with an inquisitive mind. The attitudes to research however vary widely and there are significant barriers to conducting research relevant to each clinical discipline. Understanding both the attitudes of residents to research and the barriers to conducting research could allow for strategies to improve this core aspect of clinical development. This aim of this study was to characterise current attitudes and perceived barriers towards conducting research among residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Trinidad and Tobago. An online survey was sent to all residents in the four major public hospitals in Trinidad and Tobago. The 10-min previously piloted questionnaire contained questions related to demographics, career level, research experience, attitudes to research as well as perceived barriers to conducting research. The response rate was 74% (48/65). Although most (77%) respondents were interested in performing research, lack of time (56%) and insufficient training in research (59%) were the main barriers. Lack of mentorship or supervision as well as departmental issues such as access to case notes, electronic databases and bureaucratic issues were also found to hamper a research-oriented environment. For residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology, curricula revision is urgently required to include protected research time, training in research methodology, formal and dedicated research mentors in order to promote a research-oriented culture that ensures a greater understanding and output of research in this specialty.

Shifting of research and teaching methodology training is a potential solution for Indian medical education

Shifting of research and teaching methodology training is a potential solution for Indian medical education

Nurses facing health misinformation: How to spot scientific articles misuse?

Currently, large amounts of health information, mainly in the social media field, have led to an infodemic which, together with the vast misleading and inaccurate information that can be accessed, represents a substantial public health issue. Healthcare professionals can help to identify and even prevent the dissemination of such information, as well as to lead the struggle against it by denying it. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to propose a guide to be used for the detection of health misinformation focused on health professionals. The model is based on an in-depth analysis, focused on assessing the contextualization of the type of scientific document, the possibility of extrapolation of the information, the causality, as well as the quality of the scientific evidence given. Besides requesting an effort from healthcare professionals to prevent the spread of health disinformation, we believe it is essential to offer tools to easily detect it, whereby training in research methodology is the main tool for healthcare professionals in the fight against misinformation and its negative implications on people's health

Gender Differences in Attitude and Barriers to Research by Medical Undergraduate Students in Nigeria

Background.&#x0D; Medical research, one of the pillars of medical education plays a crucial impact in advancing healthcare by improving the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illnesses. It is important to ensure that medical students and early career physicians are involved to research outside the curriculum at an early stage of training. This early involvement has been widely known to increase one’s likelihood of building a career in research.&#x0D; In Nigeria, the gender composition of research personnel in universities is alarming as less than a quarter are female. There is a need to describe the factors responsible for this imbalance in order to inform stakeholders on where actionable measures can be taken.&#x0D; &#x0D; Aim&#x0D; To examine the gender differences in the attitude towards research, willingness to undertake research, and barriers to research reported by undergraduate clinical students in Nigeria.&#x0D; &#x0D; Methods&#x0D; Six hundred and seventy-two (672) undergraduate medical students in their fourth to sixth years of study in seven selected medical schools across Nigeria completed an electronic survey in August 2022. The survey which was hosted on REDCap was adapted from published works which addressed a similar scope and comprised of 56 items divided into five sections. Gender differences in research experience, willingness to participate in research, attitude towards research and barriers that hinder participation in research were explored using a chi-square test. Variables were collected using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to agree with a “neutral midpoint” and SPSS version 25 was used in the analysis.&#x0D; Results&#x0D; Although an equal proportion of male and female students reported voluntary involvement in research, 56.2% of male students and 28.8% of female students perceived research as exciting and enjoyable (p&lt;0.001) and 37.5% of male students vs 47.0 of female students perceived research as being complicated. &#x0D; Male students were more willing to spend more than 3 months on a research project (56.0% vs 42.5%, p&lt;0.001), devote as much time to research as to medical studies (40.1% vs 28%, p=0.002), and to pursue a research-oriented career in the future (49.3% vs 32%, p&lt;0.001).&#x0D; Overall, male students reported a higher number of barriers than female students. However, lack of personal interest in research (19.2% vs 26.9%, male vs female students, p=0.011) and insufficient training in research methodology (70.1% vs 81.7%, male vs female students, p=0.009) were reported more by female students. &#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusion&#x0D; Although there are no gender differences in the composition of students who report prior voluntarily involvement in research, there are gender differences in the attitude and willingness as well as barriers encountered by clinical students to carry out research. Tailored measures should be developed around the peculiar barriers expressed by female medical students.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

The next generation of researchers: One-year outcome data from the SAEM Advanced Research Methodology Evaluation and Design in Medical Education (ARMED MedEd) program.

As the field of medical education evolves, there is a need to increase the quality of education scholarship and develop a cadre of research scholars; however, clinician educators (CEs) considering this career transition have limited formal training in education research methodology to heed this call. Therefore, a program that provides more advanced training in education scholarship for CEs without the financial and resource barriers of fellowships and masters programs is needed. The SAEM Advanced Research Methodology Evaluation and Design in Medical Education (ARMED MedEd) program is a longitudinal program for the beyond-beginner CE, seeking advanced training in education research. The program was created using a comprehensive needs assessment and included longitudinal training; small-group projects; dedicated project mentors; and integrated diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Program participants applied for a grant upon program completion. Twenty-one participants completed the course with 100% completing the baseline survey and 67% (14/21) completing the end-of-program survey. Participants reported improved perception of knowledge across all of the topics with a medium to large effect size, ranging from 0.40 to 0.62. When asked about impact on their network of potential collaborators, participants reported a median of 7 (interquartile range [IQR] 5-8) out of 9. When asked about the impact on their community of practice, participants reported a median of 7 (IQR 5-7) out of 9. When asked about the impact on their professional identity, participants reported a median of 7 (IQR 4-9) out of 9. Participants also reported an increase in both the quantity (mean of 2 ± 1 new mentors) and the quality (median score 7 [IQR 5-8] out of 9) of new research mentorship as a result of the program. Open-ended feedback was generally positive, with 100% reporting they would advise others to take this program. The SAEM ARMED MedEd program represents a proof of concept for an advanced education research program seeking to fill the research training gap for the beyond-beginner Clinician educators.

Teachers' perception towards research at Nursing Institute, Rabat, Morocco

In Morocco, nursing education is currently undergoing a major evolution, allowing training institutes to comply with the higher education system. As a result, there is an emerging need for additional training in the form of a Master's degree and a PhD. This provides an opportunity to aspire to an academic and especially a research qualification, and gives an interesting impulse to teaching and research in nursing. This study sought to investigate teachers' perception towards research at the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Technics of Health in Rabat. A cross-sectional survey started in Avril 15th 2021 and completed in May10th 2021 was used with a convenience sample of teachers from the High Institute of Nursing Professions and Technics of Health in Rabat and It’s Kenitra annex. Data analysis was performed using the software Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Chi Square test and value at 95% confidence level were used to measure the association between study variables and the teachers research perception. Significance was when 𝑝≤0.05. A total of 77 teachers enrolled in this study. 55.8% were aged 30 to 40 years old, 68.8% were female, 57.1% had a master diploma and 60% had more than 5 years teaching experience. Analyses showed that the most correlated variable were age respectively with research motivation (p=0.03), having research skills (p=0.04) and the fact that the research is stressful (p=0.02). The correlations are significant between the level of education, research skills (p=0.04) and research is stressful (p&lt;0.001). Significant association was demonstrated between training in research methodology and the development of research skills. Research experience was correlated with both research skills (p=0.02) and perception of research as stressful (p&lt;0.001). Despite positive participant’s perception towards research, their lack of skills and educational training in research may influences their involvement in research activities. These shortcomings could be reduced by additional education, support, improved communication, and opportunities to undertake research activities.

Overview of statistical methods usage in Indian anaesthesia publications.

Despite the importance of statistics being well established for medical research, it remains a neglected area of understanding and learning. The present survey aimed to examine the use of various statistical methods in a two-year sample (2019-2020) of representative Indian anaesthesia journals and compare it with an international top-ranked journal. The literature survey included analysis of 748 original articles from 'Indian Journal of Anaesthesia' (179), 'Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology' (125) and 'Anesthesia & Analgesia' (444) published over the period. Original research articles were identified from the table of contents of each issue. Articles were assessed for statistical methods, categorised as being descriptive, elementary, multivariable, advanced multivariate or diagnostic/classification. Compared to Anesthesia & Analgesia, the Indian journals (considered together) had a significantly greater use of mean (standard deviation) (91.2% versus 70%) and percentages (79.5% versus 67.6%) (P = 0.000 each); and lesser for Wilcoxon (5.4% versus 14.6%) and Pearson/Spearman (5.1% versus 13.5%) correlation tests (P = 0.000 each), multivariable tests including various regression methods (P < 0.001), classification/diagnostic tests [Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, P = 0.022; sensitivity/specificity, P = 0.000; precision, P = 0.006; and relative risk/risk ratio, P = 0.010] and a virtual absence of complex multivariate tests. The findings show limited use of advanced complex statistical methods in Indian anaesthesia journals, usually being restricted to descriptive or elementary. There was a strong bias towards using randomised controlled designs. The findings suggest an urgent and focussed need on training in research methodology, including statistical methods, during postgraduation and continued medical training.

Medical Resident Awareness of Predatory Journal Practices in an International Medical Education System

ABSTRACT Introduction Learning research methodology is increasingly becoming an essential part of graduate medical education worldwide, with many regulatory and accreditation bodies requiring residents to participate in scholarship. Research methodology workshops have become a standard part of medical curricula; however, there is limited data on how much training on journal selection and the publication process trainees receive. The alarming growth of predatory journals has made it increasingly difficult for researchers, especially trainees and early career physicians, to distinguish these publications from reputable journals. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of reputable and predatory publishing practices amongst medical trainees in an international medical education setting in the United Arab Emirates. Methods A survey on credible journal practices based on the ‘Think. Check. Submit’ initiative was sent to all graduate medical education trainees at two large academic medical centers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Descriptive statistics were used to tabulate variable frequencies. Results Over half of the 160 respondents reported receiving prior research methodology training and 42.5% had at least one publication. The majority of the trainees selected impact factor and the quality of the peer-review process as characteristics of reputable journals. Ambiguous editorial board and rapid publication process were recognized as characteristics of predatory journals by >65% of trainees, however, 95% of all trainees were unaware of Beall’s list or other resources to help select a journal for publication. 15.2% of trainees who received unsolicited emails from publishers submitted their manuscripts to the unfamiliar journals, citing peer recommendation and pressure to publish from their training programs as reasons. Conclusion Trainees in the United Arab Emirates were mostly unaware of reputable publication practices and are vulnerable to publishing in predatory journals. Policy and educational reform are necessary to maintain the credibility and integrity of the scientific process.