No research experience...where do I start?

[XKV]

Hey all,

I am starting med school this august, and was interested in doing research. Everyone I know talks about research, but I don't even have any idea where to start. Can you guys recommend any websites or books that I can read that could give me some insights into the skills and qualities of good researchers? My cousin gave me a book on logical thinking and analysis which I've been reading in my spare time. Also, med students seem kind of busy and I was also wondering when most of you guys found time to do your research. Thanks.

-XKV

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[Adcadet]

Well, before getting too upset about your lack of experience, take a moment to remind yourself that you've gained admission into a pretty elite field (medicine) and that alone sets you apart. One basic researcher who teaches in my medical school has made comments in the past about being willing and happy to take medical students into her lab even without research experience because she knew there were hardworking and smart people. So, feel good about being hardworking and smart, or at least feel good about your ability to fake it

Most people learn about how to do research at some level through their science coursework in undergrad. Did you get any of this, or did all of your science classes not cover much in the way of experimental design?

If you're interested in clinical research, a book I really liked was Designing Clinical Research by Hulley et al. It gives an epidemiology slant on clinical research. Its a great book because it assumes basically no prior knowledge of anything, covers study designs pretty well, and covers a decent amount of basic epidemiology. I think every medical student should be required to read portions of this book, and anybody seriously doing medical research really needs to know most of what's in it.