Research resources
Early Career Doctors need research on their CVs more than ever. Here you will find information to consider to help strengthen your research skills, from forming your research question; abiding by research governance practices of consent and confidentiality; effectively managing data; to leading a powerful and engaging presentation of your findings. These resources were compiled and developed by the DRIVERS conference steering committee.
We hope these resources support you to action our “Top Tip” which is to “JUMP IN NOW, THE WATER’S FINE”.
The key to getting into research when you’re a beginner is to… just make a start! Somewhere! Anywhere! Research is a classic case of learning by doing. You’ve got to do it to understand it. And, as you make that first leap, make a commitment to yourself to do it ‘right’ from the get-go, as best you can. You won’t regret it.
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!
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.
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 resource we’d highly recommend you read next.
Monash Health
On The Wards - an online community supporting Junior Doctors
Post Graduate Medical Council of Victoria - JMO Victoria
The Career Doctor YouTube Channel - developed to help medical students and doctors advance their medical careers
The BMJ - a global healthcare knowledge provider, publishing more than 70 medical and allied science journals.
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
Resources for Monash medical students
If you are a Monash medical student interested in presenting the work you did/are/will be doing during your SIP/other project/research done when on placement at a Monash Rural Health site, there are a few things you need to check before submitting:
- Supervisor approval – irrespective of what you did, ALL presenters need supervisor approval and acknowledgment (if you’re unsure, please check with your supervisor(s) about being listed on the first slide of the presentation – this is accepted practice).
- If you did a research project (e.g. BMedSc(Hons)) for which you have ethics approval, provided you have your supervisor(s)’ approval, please proceed.
Your abstract submission and presentation should include a written statement about which HREC(s) approved your project. - If you did a project that included human data and did not have ethics approval (i.e. most projects that have been done in health services as quality assurance/improvement [QA/I]), in addition to supervisor(s)’ approval and acknowledgment, you will need written (email is fine) permission from the health service (discuss this with your supervisor).
If your results are sensitive, you may wish to do a reflective presentation on your SIP (please see more under streams). - If you are presenting a case study, please ensure the patient has signed a consent form which you have kept safely.
- You cannot get retrospective ethics approval for any project.Your abstract submission and presentation should include a written statement about ethics and approvals This could be on your method (or similar) slide.