How to do a research project

[BlondeCookie]

I have no idea how to go about this so if anyone can offer any ideas I would be grateful. I'd like to do a research project. Is it possible to do something on a very limited budget and without any assistance from a professor? Is this something that has to take a long time?

I'm not trying to win a Nobel Prize or anything. I'd just like to complete one for academic and possibly future professional reasons. Besides looking good on a CV or residency application, I'd like to do a research project just for the fun of it. I think it would be intellectually challenging and a worthwhile endeavor, but I just don't know where or how to start.

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[JeffLebowski]

I have no idea how to go about this so if anyone can offer any ideas I would be grateful. I'd like to do a research project. Is it possible to do something on a very limited budget and without any assistance from a professor? Is this something that has to take a long time?

I'm not trying to win a Nobel Prize or anything. I'd just like to complete one for academic and possibly future professional reasons. Besides looking good on a CV or residency application, I'd like to do a research project just for the fun of it. I think it would be intellectually challenging and a worthwhile endeavor, but I just don't know where or how to start.

I'm not sure what kind of project you're looking for, but if you do a "medical education" research project, those are basically free, and usually med school admin jump at the opportunity to have a student do a project on that topic with them, as stuff like that looks good coming from their office as well, but sometimes they need students to approach them with an interest and an idea of a question they'd like to answer. Like "hey I wonder if private schools have more standardized patient experiences than public schools", or "what were the most important factors for incoming students to make their decision to come here", or "how many acceptances did students get who ended up at different schools", etc.

 

[abooodMD]

Doing reseach related with public health is a very good idea, and u need to select which field you wanna search in, I mean disease or social problem, and both are good.
there is too many steps you gotta follow, and u should know them before u begin your research, your research should have a very specific title which will define the contents of your research, and it should discuss one side of the big problem, fo example:
research title : "DIABETES".... is wrong title, coz it's a big feild and your research won't cover all it sides, so it won't be soo interesting, but
research title : " practicing exercises and it's realtion with delay and diminshing dangerous diseases in the diabetic patient in ........ city during ..... " and you should define specific place and specific peroid of time (2008-2009).... this is a good title .
and there is alot of research topics which you can select one that would be interesting to the society at present.
and if u need any help you can ask me, I did a research last semester which talked about doctors and medical ethics.
but it took long time _ the whole semester_ and it needs you to offer alotta efforts.
so good luck.

 

[BlondeCookie]

Interesting advice. Thanks abood and Jeff!

Do you know where or how I can look up some med students old research projects? I guess if anything, that could help spark the creative ideas on what I could do. I think I want to research something in terms of general medicine, but I'm not really sure. Is there some way I can search old research papers from med students? Is this stuff even online?

 

[abooodMD]

actually, I knew a very good american website which is considered a great source of researches, but I lost the link from my bookmarks, and I didn't made any benefit from it, it was good but my research was in arabic.
If any one here know the website which I talked about may post the link here.
and you can ask your upperclassmen to show you their research, or your professor can help you, just to know the style and take a general view of the research.

 

[RxnMan]

I have no idea how to go about this so if anyone can offer any ideas I would be grateful. I'd like to do a research project. Is it possible to do something on a very limited budget and without any assistance from a professor? Is this something that has to take a long time?

I'm not trying to win a Nobel Prize or anything. I'd just like to complete one for academic and possibly future professional reasons. Besides looking good on a CV or residency application, I'd like to do a research project just for the fun of it. I think it would be intellectually challenging and a worthwhile endeavor, but I just don't know where or how to start.

For very low budgets, you're usually limited to survey-type studies (hand out flyers, mail out questionnairs (sp?), etc.). I'd strongly suggest you get some help because you're probably going to run into IRB requirements if you work with human subjects in any way, and it helps to have someone experienced to guide you through IRB approval. A faculty member may also get you some $$$.

But if you got a faculty member to help you, you might as well go around and find one who has a standing project, something they've already laid the groundwork for and just need someone with some time to carry it through.

I understand your desire - I did something very similar myself - but I'm telling you that there's easier ways, and harder ways to go about running your own study.

 

[BlondeCookie]

For very low budgets, you're usually limited to survey-type studies (hand out flyers, mail out questionnairs (sp?), etc.). I'd strongly suggest you get some help because you're probably going to run into IRB requirements if you work with human subjects in any way, and it helps to have someone experienced to guide you through IRB approval. A faculty member may also get you some $$$.

But if you got a faculty member to help you, you might as well go around and find one who has a standing project, something they've already laid the groundwork for and just need someone with some time to carry it through.

I understand your desire - I did something very similar myself - but I'm telling you that there's easier ways, and harder ways to go about running your own study.

What does IRB stand for? I really would like to find a faculty member with a related research interest, but I've kinda explored that route already. And really, this is what I want to do. What I mean is that I kinda have an idea of what research I want to do, but at this time I really would like to do it myself and then maybe get a faculty member to help me after I get it going.

Is there any sort of validity in a student research project not involving human or animal models? With the scope of my pseudo-top-secret research, eventually I would like to get some sort of testing model involved, but for the purposes of getting off the ground level... do you think I can do this? Sorry for the vagueness. I know I am taking a path less traveled, but it's just a start. And honestly, I really don't mind so much now if research substandard. I just want to get started. My primary motivation is to do this for my own personal, but hopefully later professional interests.

 

[RxnMan]

What does IRB stand for?...

IRB referes to Institutional Review Board, the group that decides if a proposed project treats its subjects (animals or humans) ethically. US institutions require you to pass IRB muster prior to taking data.

...What I mean is that I kinda have an idea of what research I want to do, but at this time I really would like to do it myself and then maybe get a faculty member to help me after I get it going...

I understand what you mean, and it's good you've got an idea, but you'll still benefit from having a faculty member get you money and help you through the study design process.

...Is there any sort of validity in a student research project not involving human or animal models? With the scope of my pseudo-top-secret research, eventually I would like to get some sort of testing model involved, but for the purposes of getting off the ground level... do you think I can do this? Sorry for the vagueness. I know I am taking a path less traveled, but it's just a start. And honestly, I really don't mind so much now if research substandard. I just want to get started. My primary motivation is to do this for my own personal, but hopefully later professional interests.

Doing research w/o/human subjects is easier, but again, having a faculty member look over your work and guide you is better. Just talking over your study idea will be good.