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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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| I have an idea for a research project. How do I get started? |
The first step is to draft a research question for your project. If you know of a logical mentor for your project, he/she may be able to help you draft your research question. Ideally, the question should have 4 elements: patients, intervention, comparison, and outcome.
Once you have drafted your research question, search the literature to pick out related articles. If you are still excited to answer your question, and you think the project can be done, fill out a PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM and email it to Dr. Witting or to your mentor. A sample proposal form can be seen here
To be an investigator at UMMS, you will need to complete on-line training. Complete the CITI (14 basic biomedical modules) and HIPAA modules. |
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| How can I get involved with someone else’s research project? |
Periodically, investigators have opportunities for junior investigators to get “on the job research training” by helping them with their projects. The registry of active projects indicates which projects can use co-investigators. This can be found on emresident.net – click on “Research Projects,” then on the “registry” file. If you are wondering about a specific project that is not on the registry, contact the study principal investigator directly or email Dr. Witting
To be an investigator at UMMS, you will need to complete on-line training. Complete the CITI (14 basic biomedical modules) and HIPAA modules.
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| Do residents need to do a research project to graduate? |
No. The scholarly project can be anything that includes the following elements:
1) A problem identification and/or hypothesis formation.
2) Some form of information gathering or data collection
3) An analysis of data or some evidence of analytic thinking.
4) A statement of conclusion or interpretation of results.
Examples of scholarly projects include but are not limited to original research – prospective or retrospective, a systematic review, a case report, a community project, or development of medical software.
An oversight committee comprised of the residency director, associate residency director, research director, and other individuals appointed by the residency director will periodically review each resident’s written submissions. This committee will provide written feedback to each resident regarding submission suitability. Acceptance for publication in a peer-reviewed emergency medicine journal will constitute automatic acceptance of a project.
Residents are encouraged to work cooperatively, even jointly, on research projects and to take advantage of available resources, such as attendings with special interest and/or expertise and Linda Kesselring, our medical editor. Residents collaborating on a research project will be asked describe their personal participation in the research project.
Written draft proposals are due by March 1 of the PGY-II year. There is a different form for each type of project, but all require identification of a mentor. Final projects are due by March 1 of the PGY-III year.
These guidelines were adapted from Summers RL, Fish S, Blanda M. Assessment of the “Scholarly Project” Requirement for Emergency Medicine Residents: Report of the SAEM Research Directors’ Workshop. Acad Emerg Med 1999;6:1160-1165.
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| How can I learn how to do research? |
For residents, the best way is through the “Getting Started in Research Series.” These lectures are given every other month as part of the regular curriculum. The series of lectures repeats every other year, and handouts from the series are available from Dr. Witting on request.
For attendings, besides the “Getting Started in Research Series,” the ACEP Emergency Medicine Basic Research Skills (EMBRS) workshop is terrific. Information on the EMBRS course is available at http://www.acep.org/webportal/Education/Research. There is also a 1-day course available through the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (DEPM). For those who just can’t get enough research training, DEPM also offers a Master’s in Clinical Research. For information about DEPM courses, look over their website http://medschool.umaryland.edu/Epidemiology/ or contact Katherine Pazdernick, 410-706-4425).
For everyone involved, you can learn a lot by simply getting involved and working with more senior researchers. As Dr. Jon Olshaker, our former Program Director, once said, “Just do it!”
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| Who are research mentors and what are their areas of interest? |
| Faculty at University of Maryland have a variety of research interests. If you have an idea for a project and you are not sure which faculty member is best for the project, email Dr. Witting with a brief description of your project. |
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