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Welcome Pritzker Summer Research Program Research Seminar #2 Quick Check In
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| Date | 26.10.2016 | | Size | 18.13 Kb. | | #483 |
| Welcome Pritzker Summer Research Program Research Seminar #2 - Cluster group meetings?
- Other problems?
- Logistics? (epic, etc.)
- Mentor?
- Mixed feelings about project?
- Seek guidance of your mentor, cluster leader, or SRP Directors
- If you email ME, cc Dr. Wolfson & Kate Blythe and tell us your mentor’s name and title of your project for a more timely response
This Week - References
- Any issues with Zotero?
- Any issues with SRP website?
- Introduction
- Keep in mind your entire paper is roughly 3K words so not too much time on this
- End with Aims & Hypothesis
Today - Assembling a final paper
- What are the other parts?
- Writing abstracts (for end of summer)
- Tips to Survive SRP
IMRaD - Unlike a novel, newspaper article or an essay…a scientific paper has a required structure and style
- By international consensus "Introduction Methods Results and Discussion" or IMRaD
- Hengl, T. and Gould, M., 2002. Rules of thumb for writing research articles.
Introduction - Opening line
- Start broad with something that interests your audience “the hook”
- But not too broad
- “Sleep is a required biological function”
- Could frame it as a problem with scope
- “Sleep deprivation is a common problem worldwide”
- Funnel method to end
- with your specific aim and your hypothesis
Introduction - Routinely 2 to 3 paragraphs
- Think about the 3 main items that someone needs to know to understand your aim
- Each of these items could be a separate paragraph
- Create topic sentences for each paragraph carefully that introduce the next idea
- Need good ‘flow’
- Transition words and phrases between ideas
Transitions Words - Similar idea
- In addition
- Furthermore
- Moreover
- also
- Likewise
- Similarly
- As a result
- For example
- Opposite idea
- However
- Nevertheless
- In contrast
- Regardless
- Monitor frequency of use to avoid overusing same word to start sentences
Strategic References - Avoid “reference rehash”
- “Chang et al showed X. Towle et al demonstrated Y. Boone et al demonstrated Z.”
- OK to do this for 1-2 landmark studies
- Goal is to synthesize prior work
- “Prior studies have showed…”
- “Some studies showed that X…. In contrast, other studies showed Z.”
Create tension or ‘gap’ - Given that other studies have taken place, why is your study needed
- Highlight potential links to therapy, policy, scientific discovery
- “To date, no study has explored…”
- “Currently, it is unclear..”
Pitfalls of Introduction - Too long
- Reference rehash or overload
- Not making the case for the study – WHY?
- Jargon or abbreviations not explained
- Too broad
- Poor flow
Aim and Hypothesis - End of the introduction
- The specific aim of this paper is to…
- We hypothesize that…
Methods - Step by step detailed protocol
- In general, 3 main paragraphs
- Study Design
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis
Study Design… including Setting & Population - Design
- Retrospective or prospective?
- RCT, pre-post, observational?
- Setting: Where conducted?
- Multicenter, single institution, in a lab, in the community.
- Population: Who or what was studied?
- People, cell lines, etc.
- In enough detail so reader can assess generalizability
- Often end with IRB/IACUC approval or exemption statement
Data Collection - Step by step, how was data collected
- May use sub-sub headings if many types of methods
- Give examples
- how a survey question was worded & scale used
- Describe any products/instruments used (inc manufacturer) and units reported
- Reference studies that use these methods or validate these methods
- Past tense
- since it was done- not copied from IRB app or grant!
Data Analysis - Calculations used to arrive at the results
- Data were analyzed using.. .
- Specific tests
- Qualitative or Quantitative
- Any software or product used
- How statistical or clinical significance was defined
- Multiple comparisons may necessitate more conservative p values
Pitfalls of Methods - No data analysis section due to a fear of statistics
- Too short
- Not enough detail to understand study
- Assuming that others know what your method is
- No mention of IRB/IACUC
- No methods references
Results - Remember to start with the basics
- “Descriptive statistics” - basic # to demonstrate
- Describe study sample characteristics
- Often referring to “Table 1”
- Examples
- # of experiments you’ve done
- # of people you have enrolled (response rate)
-
Results - Consider the “flow” – give most important results first or “set up” the important ones
- Important results relate to your hypothesis
- Followed by “secondary” results that are less important but interesting or characterize a finding further
- Consider flow with your mentor
- Likely will continue to work on results rest of summer (Upload a placeholder)
Project not working? - It is OK if…
- Hypothesis is disproven
- p value is >0.05
- enrollment is low
- results are slow
- If a project is NOT working…
- Meet with mentor to troubleshoot
- IRB issues? Methodological problem?
- Change direction?
Need Statistical Help - Use your mentor and resources of your mentor’s lab, Dept, colleagues etc.
- May have a statistician for the project
- Or someone they curbside for stats questions
- Revisit notes from class
- If your mentor needs help…
- biostatistics assistance available to faculty (and their students)
- Save for when you need it –at critical point
- Costs $$$ after 2h of use (to your mentor)
- http://biotime.uchicago.edu/
Initial Approaches to Data Analysis - Describe the variables
- Height /weight ?
- Likert type data ? (Strongly agree to strongly disagree)
- Gender?
- Race? / Specialty you will go into?
- This is the KEY to decide what statistical test to use
Figures/ Graphs / Tables - Show the data the best you can
- Tables and Graphs should be “stand alone”
- That is they should convey the meaning of the data without HAVING to read the paper
- Often this will require a legend
How Most People Read Journals - Read Title
- Read Intro (first few lines) to decide to read further
- Look at figures/ tables to see if they can get the gist of your work
- Read conclusion
-
- But, reviewers do not read this way!
- Neither do those “looking for your article”
Managing Expectations - TIME
- your timeline consistent with mentor/lab?
- OUTCOME
- VERY UNUSUAL to have paper ready to submit to journal at end of summer
- Publicationdepends on factors out of your control (Project, mentor, scientific climate)
- Even a good project takes years to publish
What Might You Have? - Abstract Writing
- Writing a good abstract is critical to scientific research
- Why?
Challenge of Writing a Good Abstract - Many people find it harder to be terse
- Or do not choose the most relevant information
- Key is to stay big picture and focus on the MAIN points
Submitting to a meeting - Abstracts are your entry point to get to meetings
- Look up the format for when you write – DO NOT JUST WRITE
- 1st --what is the word count (write that at the bottom so you know how far over/under you are always)
Abstract writing - VERY different from papers
- Usually 250-500 words (required for those of you on NIH training grants) so keep it very brief
- Same format “IMRaD” or a format they specify (i.e. “innovation abstracts)
Abstract Writing - Always takes longer than you think
- Start early!
- Get feedback
- Can often write the background and methods while you wait for the results
Keys to Good Abstracts - Intro sets the stage but does not go into more depth than needed. only 1-2 sentences
- Methods understandable (not vague/skimpy)
- Results – provide the data to support main points (need to decide what those are)
- Conclusion reinforces main points and includes forward thinking implications for future work
Tips to Surviving SRP - Focus on the process and making sure you are on top of your assignments
- Results should come eventually and sometimes no way to ‘force’ them
- Figure out how to troubleshoot & consider plans B & C
- Sometimes you have to change your hypothesis to accommodate this change too
Tips to Surviving SRP - Cultivate a working relationship & rhythm with your mentor and mentor’s lab
- Proactively communicate but respect their competing obligations that prevent you from being their top priority at every moment
- Graduating students will tell us that finding a good mentor is the key to a successful experience (not the “project”)
Tips to Surviving SRP - The timeline to produce anything meaningful is LONG
- People spend their whole lives on making one breakthrough
- You have 10 weeks
- This is in some ways a ‘jumpstart’ to learning about research and your interests
Tips to Surviving SRP - Do not focus on “publishing” a paper
- Think about more appropriate dissemination for a first step
- SRP Forum counts!
- Internal conferences “Dept of Surgery Research Day”
- Regional or national conference
- The first step is submitting an abstract
Needed for Payday! - Check #1 available AFTER…
- Requires validation of
- References
- Hypothesis
- Introduction
Special Emphasis Programs - START (Scholars in Translational Aging Research Training)
- Starts June 20th
- Confirmation emails this week
- SOAR (Scholars in Oncology Associated Research)
- Starts July 5th
- Includes interprofessional component
Authorship workshop - Led by Dr. Wolfson
- Part of REQUIRED research ethics curriculum
- Effective Scientific Presentations July 25th NEW TIME 11AM!!!
- What you need to know to present at SRP Forum
- Planning for MS2 S&D;
Questions? SRP Questions - SRP ?s
- When your mentor or cluster group leader can’t answer…
- Email to Dr. Arora SHOULD CC Kate Blythe
- INDICATE YOUR MENTOR AND PROJECT TITLE
- Most questions are logistical
- Depends on type of research
SRP S&D;? SRP S&D;? Looking Forward to MS2 - Some of you will continue your project as part of Scholarship & Discovery MS2 Block (5 weeks at end of MS2 year after USMLE before mS3)
- Some of you may not want to because
Fall MS2 - Submit track application in early NOVEMBER
- Although this seems like a long time away, the key is that you don’t start back until Sept 22nd (which is really already October)
- So, if you have an inclination to switch, you may want to think about new mentors for your MS2 year S&D; block
Some pitfalls - MS2 think they get more done than they will during MS2 year before the Block starts
- They don’t factor in how time consuming CPP&T; or how tiring studying for USMLE is
- Many want to “start” a new project since all they have to do is “finish a paper” from SRP
- “finishing a paper” easily takes more than 5 weeks!
- Don’t take on too much
SOAR Scholars in Oncology Associated Research - Improve medical student knowledge of oncologic disciplines with respect to clinical care, basic sciences, and social sciences
- Introduce students to the multidisciplinary and interprofessional aspects of oncology
Seminar survey series - 45-60 minute lectures covering clinical and research aspects of
- Medical, surgical & radiation oncology
- Cancer genetics
- Cancer disparities
- Cancer economics
- Drug development
- Survivorship care
- Hospice / Palliative medicine
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