How to Do Your Research Project : A Guide for Students in Medicine and The Health Sciences

Getting involved in medical and biomedical research through necessity or personal choice can be a testing experience. Each step of the process brings its own challenges, from liaising with supervisors, to the lack of opportunities to promote completed research. This brand new How to provides a complete guide to the process: from the planning stages, to execution, write-up, preparation for the viva examination, and how to maximise the impact of your research. It ensures you get the most out of the experience, both in terms of personal development and academic achievement, and even provides guidance on what to do when things don’t quite go to plan. An ideal companion, written by an experienced postgraduate tutor, this concise and user-friendly manual is full of practical exercises, key points, and hints and tips, which will give you the edge when dealing with the more elusive realities of medical and healthcare research. How to do your Research Project 3 Contents 7 Preface 8 Chapter 1 Before you start 11 Introduction 11 What constitutes a research project? 12 Should I take the research project option or not? 13 Financial implications 13 Timing 13 Motivation 14 Involving others in your decision 14 What if your institution is selective? 15 How should I choose what I do for my project? 16 How should I choose a supervisor? 16 What sort of project will suit my skills and abilities? 17 How can I know what I am letting myself in for? 19 What should I do before I start? 19 Chapter 2 Getting going 22 Introduction 22 Background knowledge 24 Conducting a literature search and being focused in your reading 26 Practical and laboratory skills 29 Laboratory safety 29 Conduct in a clinical setting 30 Ethical aspects of clinical research 32 Learning the practical skills 35 Keeping a laboratory book/log book 36 Working hours and setting your own timetable 39 Further reading 42 Chapter 3 The supervisor and other colleagues 43 Your supervisor 43 Professional, but friendly 44 Working as part of a team 45 Roles and responsibilities of other members of the team 46 Working as a member of a team 49 Meetings 50 Supervisory meetings 52 Seminars, journal clubs and other meetings 52 Further reading 54 Chapter 4 Making progress 55 Reviewing your progress during data collection 55 Reviewing your data 57 Data storage and security 59 How much data do you need? How do you know when to stop? 60 Power calculations 62 The importance of statistical analysis 64 Beginning your data analysis 67 Practical considerations that might limit your project 68 Projects from Chapter 1 71 Justifying the end point of a project 72 Further reading 73 Chapter 5 Writing up 74 Introduction 74 The importance of starting early 75 What form should the dissertation take? 76 Structuring the dissertation 76 What should each section contain? 79 Maintaining the momentum 89 Attention to detail: presentation, grammar and spelling 91 Avoiding plagiarism 93 Revisions, revisions 95 Chapter 6 Maximising impact 98 Promoting your research 99 Giving a good spoken presentation 99 Know your audience 99 Plan the time and construct the talk 100 Prepare your slides 101 Rehearse and respond to feedback 107 Delivering your spoken presentation 108 Preparing a poster presentation 110 Make your poster eye-catching 111 Making the poster easy to navigate 111 Making the poster easy to read 114 Talking to your audience 114 Making your own opportunities 115 What to do with your poster 115 Where might you give a presentation? 116 Other ways of raising profile and maximising impact 117 Chapter 7 Preparing for your assessment 120 Find out about how the work is assessed 121 Distribution of marks 121 Input from your supervisor 121 Internal and external examiners 122 Specific responsibilities of external examiners 122 Anonymity of marking 123 Role of the exam board 123 Guidance given to examiners regarding the dissertation 124 Preparing for a viva examination (having a practice viva) 124 Practise talking about your project 124 The general questions 126 The difficult questions 127 Final preparations, calming nerves and getting into a good frame of mind 127 After your viva 129 What happens if you cannot meet your assessment deadlines or requirements? 129 Chapter 8 When things go wrong 132 What sort of problems might I encounter? 133 Problems with the project 133 Poor recruitment 133 Finding your project is not unique 134 Breakdown of essential equipment 135 Problems with the supervisor 137 Problems relating to yourself 140 Health problems 141 Family illness or bereavement 141 Financial problems 142 Personal or relationship issues 142 Who needs to know when a student has problems? 142 Monitoring, assessment and procedural issues 144 THE LAST WORD 147 Index 149 This book provides a source of advice and information for students on how to approach, execute, and write up their research and prepare for a viva examination. It points the way to how to get the most out of the experience, both from the perspective of personal development and academic achievement. This text provides a source of advice and information for students on how to approach, execute, and write up their research and prepare for a viva examination. It points the way to how to get the most out of the experience, both from the perspective of personal development and academic achievement Before You Start -- Getting Going -- The Supervisor And Other Colleagues -- Making Progress -- Writing Up -- Maximising Impact -- Preparing For Your Assessment -- When Things Go Wrong. Caroline Beardsmore. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.