Faculty Development - Rowan-Virtua SOM: Research: Getting Started

The following are essential steps as you get started with the research process.

• Selecting a research topic: The first step is to identify a research topic that is interesting and feasible to investigate. The topic should be relevant and potentially contribute to the existing knowledge base.
• Conducting a literature review: The researcher must review the existing literature related to the research topic. This will help the researcher to understand what has already been studied and to identify gaps in the knowledge. The Rowan-Virtua SOM Health Sciences Library can assist with the literature review process and recommends checking five major databases available from the Library's Medical Resources page (Medline, PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Web of Science). You can also utilize the InformationMastery.net site for your research
• Formulating research questions or hypotheses: Based on the research topic and the literature review, the researcher will formulate research questions or hypotheses that will guide the study. See the Steps to Developing a Good Research Question section of the How to Write a Research Question from Research.com.
• Selecting a research design: The researcher must select a research design appropriate for the research questions or hypotheses. The design can be quantitative, qualitative, or a combination of both. See the Study Design section of the Resources for Researchers LibGuide for more information.
• Sampling: The researcher must select a sample of participants representative of the population of interest. The sample size will depend on the research design and research questions or hypotheses.

Resources:

• Research 101 at RV-SOM: Handouts
  • Develop an Idea
  • Types of Research Design
  • Sampling Methods
  • Data Collection Methods
  • Data Analysis Methods
• Health Sciences Library:
  • LibGuides:
    • Resources for Researchers: Library Resources
    • Medical Scholarship: Getting Started
  • Ask a Librarian form (Librarians will assist with a literature search)
  • Medical Resources (Library Databases and Online Resources)
• External
  • Medical Teacher
    • Tavakol, M., & Sandars, J. (2014). Quantitative and qualitative methods in medical education research: AMEE Guide No 90: Part I. Medical Teacher, 36(9), 746-756.
    • Tavakol, M., & Sandars, J. (2014). Quantitative and qualitative methods in medical education research: AMEE Guide No 90: Part II. Medical Teacher, 36(10), 838-848.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    • Science in Seconds (Idea generation and presentation)
  • National Library of Medicine (NLM)
    • Toolkit for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
  • Research.com - How to Write a Research Question: Types, Steps, and Examples
• Contact(s)
  • Adarsh Gupta, DO, MS, FACOFP (guptaad@rowan.edu)
    Chair, Rowan-Virtua SOM Research Committee