Contents

Cover

Dedication

Title Page

Copyright

Preface

Chapter 1: Before you start

Introduction

What constitutes a research project?

Should I take the research project option or not?

How should I choose what I do for my project?

What should I do before I start?

Chapter 2: Getting going

Introduction

Background knowledge

Conducting a literature search and being focused in your reading

Practical and laboratory skills

Working hours and setting your own timetable

Further reading

Chapter 3: The supervisor and other colleagues

Your supervisor

Working as part of a team

Meetings

Further reading

Chapter 4: Making progress

Reviewing your progress during data collection

Reviewing your data

How much data do you need? How do you know when to stop?

The importance of statistical analysis

Beginning your data analysis

Practical considerations that might limit your project

Further reading

Chapter 5: Writing up

Introduction

The importance of starting early

What form should the dissertation take?

Structuring the dissertation

What should each section contain?

Maintaining the momentum

Attention to detail: presentation, grammar and spelling

Avoiding plagiarism

Revisions, revisions

Chapter 6: Maximising impact

Promoting your research

Giving a good spoken presentation

Preparing a poster presentation

Making your own opportunities

Other ways of raising profile and maximising impact

Chapter 7: Preparing for your assessment

Find out about how the work is assessed

Preparing for a viva examination (having a practice viva)

Final preparations, calming nerves and getting into a good frame of mind

After your viva

What happens if you cannot meet your assessment deadlines or requirements?

Chapter 8: When things go wrong

What sort of problems might I encounter?

Problems with the project

Problems with the supervisor

Problems relating to yourself

Monitoring, assessment and procedural issues

The last word

Index

This book is dedicated to my parents, John and Pat Beardsmore. They taught me all the important lessons of life.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Beardsmore, Caroline.
How to do your research project : a guide for students in medicine and the health sciences / Caroline Beardsmore.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-65820-8 (softback : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-118-64198-9 (eMobi) – ISBN 978-1-118-64225-2 (ePub) – ISBN 978-1-118-64251-1 (ePDF)
I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Biomedical Research. 2. Research Design. 3. Students, Health Occupations. W 20.5]
R853.C55
610.72′4–dc23
2013003016

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Cover design by Andy Meaden

Preface

Many students in medicine and health sciences have an opportunity to carry out a research project. This is a new experience for the majority of students, at once both challenging and daunting. No two projects will be the same, so each student will have to forge their own path. This book is written to help guide you through the whole process from start to finish, in as smooth a way as possible. It can be read in its entirety before embarking on a project, and various chapters re-read at appropriate points during your research.

The book begins with a chapter on how to decide whether or not to take a research option, and what sort of project is most suited to your aims and personality. The book acknowledges that a research project is a requirement of their course for some students, and some have no choice in their project. Projects may be carried out over different lengths of time, and may be analytical (or library) projects, or have a major laboratory or clinical component. Whatever the style of project, the subsequent chapters will show you how to get started, maintain the momentum, achieve the all-important write-up, and prepare for the assessment. A separate chapter is devoted to the supervisor and other colleagues, as research is almost never an individual enterprise and good working relationships are vital. Another chapter discusses how to maximise impact, showing how you can make your own opportunities to promote the results of your research. The final chapter deals with problems you might encounter, so that you can anticipate and avoid them where possible and make modifications to your project if needs be.

Each chapter in the book contains text boxes and examples to illustrate the various points and encourage the reader to think through the relevance for their own project. Several of these examples of students and their projects appear in different chapters to provide some continuity of approach. The majority of examples are based on real situations that have been faced by students and their supervisors. The boxed examples can be used as stand-alone cases for the reader to reflect on, and illustrate the need to think creatively when approaching research.

This book has grown out of my involvement with several cohorts of medical students undertaking an intercalated BSc, in which a research project has been a major (and sometimes the only) component. Although it has been developed primarily for intercalating BSc students, the information and advice it contains is equally applicable to students working in other health-related disciplines. The opportunity to do a research project brings with it many benefits, personal as well as educational, and I hope that this manual will help you, the reader, to gain as much as possible from the experience. My thanks go to all the students and their supervisors who have shared their experiences with me, without which the book would not have been written.

Caroline Beardsmore

Chapter 1 Before you start

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

This chapter highlights some of the things to take into account when the student has a choice over whether to take a research project or not. It then covers how to select a project based on the potential supervisor and the student's own skills and abilities. There are suggestions about what to do in advance of starting the project.

Introduction

Doing a piece of research is an opportunity to flex your intellect and showcase your talents in a manner that is not always possible in other parts of a medical or healthcare curriculum. Much is made of integrating knowledge in other parts of your course, but in a research project you will have to integrate knowledge with different skills and abilities that may not have been assessed previously. These may include seeking out and reviewing original research papers, designing your own experimental work, solving problems as they arise, managing your time (and your supervisor!), finding new ways of analysing and presenting data, and writing an extensive report. Research is always a challenge, but one that can be immensely fulfilling for those who engage fully with the process. The rewards of a research project are not limited to any grade or mark you may be assigned at the end, but extend into the less tangible but more long-lasting areas of personal development, independence and a taste for research that may last a lifetime. As with most challenges, preparation is the key. The aim of this manual is to help you rise to the challenge and excel.

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!