Form a clear clinical question to be answered

• Pick something that you’re passionate about - it will help on the days when your research seems to be hitting a brick wall or going on forever.
• If you’re joining an already existing research trial or case study, look to find that aspect of the research that hooks you in and go from there.
• Read up on current papers (go through journals, big and small)
• It’s more than okay to think small and simple
• Be practical - pursue research for a practical reason (don’t do research for the sake of research...think about how you can most benefit and support your community, in whatever that looks like to you)

Find your team

Collaboration - the broader the range of experience and knowledge you have at your disposal, the more informed and nuanced your project will be. Finding your team may include strategies where you:

• Research colleagues’ research profiles eg. LinkedIn - read bios
• Ask around to see who is ‘good’ with early career research
• Talk to people who have published with your team-mates before
• Consider projects already in action vs approaching with your own ideas
• Remember that when you’re starting out the chances are that your research colleagues are going to be helping you out a bit more than you’re helping them
• Look for a team that combines both academics and clinicians because you get a good mix of experiences
• Send email introductions and ask for a coffee, see what might unfold
• Ensure an agreement of authorship is determined before starting research
• See our later section “Build your networks”

Get clear on your governance obligations

Research governance refers to the processes used by institutions to ensure that they are accountable for the research conducted under their auspices.

To be properly governed, research must be conducted according to established ethical principles, guidelines for responsible research conduct, relevant legislation and regulations and institutional policy.

Research governance is also about the credentialing and training of researchers and managing risk.

Elements of research governance include:

• ethical approval
• compliance with legislation, regulations, guidelines and codes of practice
• legal matters, including contracts, and indemnity/insurance frameworks
• financial management, risk management and site-specific assessment
• institutional policies and procedures for responsible research conduct and managing research misconduct
• management of collaborative research
• reporting requirements.

While the DRIVERS Scientific Committee has no doubt you are aware of your professional responsibilities regarding the use of health service data and/or health information from a patient (eg in a case study), we want take a moment to highlight this as something you should have considered, as we know this may be the first time presenting at such a forum for some participants.

When presenters are uploading their slide decks, we will be asking you to indicate to us, by way of a check box, that you have, where appropriate, gathered written consent from the patient or health service to present the (de-identified) information at the DRIVERS conference.  

NOTE: This written consent is to be retained by yourself and kept secure - please do not give us a copy of this.

Your consent document (an email is sufficient) should include a place for the name of the patient and the name of the individual signing, or otherwise marking, the voluntary written consent.   If the patient is not the signer, the relationship of the signer (i.e., the proxy) to the patient must be stated.

For further guidance see:

• COPE Council: Journals' Best Practices for Ensuring Consent for Publishing Medical Case Reports
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: Guide to health privacy (note Chapters three and nine).

Examples of where it may be impracticable to seek consent could include situations in which there are no current contact details and there is insufficient information to get up-to-date contact details.

We would also like to remind you that care must be taken to ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times. Please make sure any slides with health/patient information/photographs have ANY and ALL identifiable personal information removed.

Read more information on research governance in Australia, including issues of consent.

Ethics

Guidelines for clinical and research ethics

The Australian code for the responsible conduct of research 2018

The national statement on ethical conduct in human research 2007 (updated 2018), from the National Health and Medical Research Council

Confidentiality

Australian legislation at the Federal and State and Territory levels provides some protection of privacy of personal information. Read more about privacy legislation as it relates to researchers in Victoria.

Acquire data, and effectively synthesise and appraise evidence

Data management

Research Data Management (RDM) is the managing, organising and preserving of all of the information used to produce research, from the initial planning and searching through to post-publication.

Data may comprise records including notes, spreadsheets, surveys, emails, published material and grey literature (literature from non-traditional publications). Applying research data management practices can facilitate sharing and re-use of information for future investigations - helping research evolve and reducing duplication of effort. It also ensures that research has integrity and is compliant in terms of copyright, licensing and attribution. In many cases, funded research will mandate the application of RDM.

https://monashhealth.libguides.com/rdm

• Consider your database selection
• Consult the literature - and keep up to date by subscribing to new alerts on custom searches using library tools
• Create a researcher profile, use social media marketing, text mining, and altmetrics
• Try using the PICO format (Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes) as a guide

Resources for data science (using R)

• R4DS:
  • https://r4ds.had.co.nz/
  • This is the go-to guide for beginning to use R. Written by Hadley Wickham (Chief Scientist at RStudio), it is a fantastic resource!
• STHDA:
  • http://www.sthda.com/english/
  • Another brilliant resource for research-specific questions on regression models, survival analysis and much more.
• StackOverflow:
  • https://stackoverflow.com/
  • If you have questions that you can’t answer, StackOverflow’s R community are here to help you!

Referencing

How to correctly cite information sources is an essential research skill, whether you’re using the APA, Vancouver,  Harvard or any other referencing styles. A referencing style is a set of rules used  to acknowledge the ideas and works of others in a structured way.

https://monashhealth.libguides.com/referencing/

Research quality

The National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Research Quality Strategy (the Strategy) focuses on enhancing research quality. The guiding principles of this strategy are:

1. Respect – An open, honest and respectful research culture provides a supportive environment conducive to the conduct of high quality research.
2. Rigour – Research is underpinned by robust scientific methods and avoidance or acknowledgment of biases.
3. Transparency – Research findings, supporting data and enabling methodologies are shared and communicated openly, responsibly and accurately.
4. Accountability – Quality research is conducted in accordance with relevant legislation, policies and guidelines.
5. Innovation – Research oversight recognises the need for incremental and breakthrough innovations balanced with the need for necessary replication.
6. Efficiency – Research management processes and systems designed to support research should minimise administrative burden while promoting timely reporting and synthesis to ensure that new research is built upon sound foundations.

Research training

Consider studying a short course or even a formal degree targeted towards specific research skills. It could save you time in the long run, and immeasurably enhance your research capability. See Monash’s research journey support options for more information and ideas of courses. Good Clinical Pratice training is an invaluable starting point.

Writing that rocks

Sharpen your research writing skills with the following tips:

• The Medical Journal of Australia’s “Instructions for Authors” including writing original research
• From the BMJ - How to write and publish a paper,  Writing a case report in 10 steps
• From Monash’s Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Department, Tips for successfully writing a case report

Present with flair

Make your presentation engaging and you are halfway there.  Think about both how you present yourself, your words AND your data.

10 tips for presenting data

• Recognize that presentation matters: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
• Record yourself and watch it back; Ask other people to watch you practice and ask them for feedback.
• Stick to the time and slide limit/poster size (don’t just use a tiny font on slides or posters).
• Use consistent formatting and punctuation
• Reference sources
• Don't scare people with numbers/ unnecessary information. For each slide / box ask yourself what is the one clear message to convey here?
• Maximize the data pixel ratio.
• Save 3D for the movies.
• “Visualise” your data to make it engaging. Friends don't let friends use pie charts:
  • Choose the appropriate chart.
  • Don't mix chart types for no reason.
  • Don't use axes to mislead.
• Never rely solely on colour: Use colour with intention

And a Bonus Tip:

• Be prepared to answer questions on your presentation!

Further reading on these topics, and the top ten list this was adapted from:

• How to Present Data
• How to Present Research Data
• Top Tips for Presenting your Research Effectively
• How to Present Health Statistics Visually

Get published

All publications, journals and research websites have their own nuances and preferences, but in general, publications often have some fairly standard shared criteria. So here are some tips for how you might approach sharing your research with a wider audience:

• Medical Journal of Australia
• American Medical Association
• BMJ

Build your research networks

As an emerging doctor, you’re at a great place in your career to build your personal brand and professional idenity and experience. Here are some ideas for how you can do this:

“Talk” about your current research

Social media is becoming more important to researchers. Not only does it offer a fast way to stay abreast of current thought leaders and developments, it gives you a platform to connect, comment and discuss. Today’s research metrics are influenced by likes, shares, mentions and re-posts on social media platforms. Your professional reputation and brand is on show, and your research is a big part of this. If you want to know more about how to manage your social media and engage with research on these platforms, why not come to a DRIVERS pre-conference workshop on the topic? We also recommend you check out the following resources:

• The AMA’s Guide to Social Media:
• AHPRA’s Social Media Guidelines

Get involved at conferences

Another great way to develop your research networks is to participate in conferences, even if you're not presenting - conferences are fantastic opportunities to meet other professionals who are interested and passionate about the same things that you are!.

While you’re at it, why not consider volunteering at a conference – there’s always work to do on the day and conference organisers would probably welcome your offer of help. Or consider making a bigger commitment and being involved in the steering committee at a conference you’re interested in, you have the opportunity to understand how conferences work behind the scenes in a way that isn’t obvious from the ‘front end’. This also looks great on your CV but gives you opportunities to build deeper relationships with colleagues and keynotes that you may not otherwise!

Last, but really and obviously first - keep your patients front and centre!

Whether you are conducting primarily desktop research or interacting with patients on a day to day basis as part of your research, it is vital that the people you seek to assist remain front and centre of your research. To that end, here are some of the 10 top tips to clinical trials from an actual patient's perspective, taken from the 2016 International Clinical Trials Day:

• Knowledge is power....
• Ask lots of questions. ...
• Take your time and talk things through. ...
• Don't be put off by the paperwork. ...
• Have a plan. ...
• Recruit your (support) army and build your tool-box. ...

Other Researcher Resources - General

Want to know what each college needs in terms of research? Why not look at the Regional Medical Training Website for a comparitive guide of entry and training for most specialties you can do rurally! Also the PMCV’s Junior Medical Officer’s Basic Guide to Research is a resouce we’d highly reccomend you read next.

Monash Health ​​

• The Junior Doctors’ Research Guide
• Graduate Research Support

On The Wards - an online community supporting Junior Doctors

• Getting Involved in Research as a Junior Doctor

Post Graduate Medical Council of Victoria - JMO Victoria

• Junior Medical Officer’s Basic Guide to Research

The Career Doctor YouTube Channel - developed to help medical students and doctors advance their medical careers

• Research on Doctor Resumes - Important or Not Important

• Research Skill Questions at Job Interviews

The BMJ - a global healthcare knowledge provider, publishing more than 70 medical and allied science journals.

• What, Where and How to Publish

Other Research Resources - Future Study

Opportunities for Honours and B. Med. Sci. students;

Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in medicine, biomedical science course, allied health, nursing, biostatistics, health economics or who are in the MBBS program and speciality training, can apply for Honours positions.

• NHMRC Scholarships: Applications for NHMRC scholarships open around May and close around June at the University (before the official NHRMC closing date in July).
• RACP Research Entry Scholarships (Applications close in July.
• Monash University Scholarships
• ESA Research Higher Degree Scholarships
• The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons offer a number of early career research scholarships