<p>Publication rates of, and attitudes toward, summer research projects: 10-year experience from a single institution in New Zealand</p>

Abstract

Background: Research is increasingly being emphasized from an early stage in medical students’ careers. Medical student involvement in research and authorship of peer-reviewed manuscripts have been shown to enhance their academic performance—both in the short term and long term. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes and motivations of the summer studentship research program at our institution, using Vroom’s expectancy theory as a conceptual framework. Methods: We utilized a mixed-methods approach to our study. Two databases (PubMed™ and Google Scholar™) were searched for publication data. In addition, students and supervisors of the program at the University of Otago were invited to provide comments on the program. Qualitative data were analyzed using an inductive, pragmatic approach which involved coding responses and grouping codes into common themes. Results: Between 2007 and 2016, 1,345 projects were completed, of which 326 (24.2%) resulted in a peer-reviewed publication. Students made up 48.1% of the first-authors. Three themes each emerged from the students and the supervisors’ survey. Student themes included: motives for undertaking a summer studentship, administrative benefits and barriers, and perceived outcomes of the program. Supervisor themes included: motivations for engaging in the summer studentship program, administrative benefits and barriers, and expectations placed on the student. These themes are consistent with Vroom’s expectancy theory where motivation is related to expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Conclusion: A dedicated program to foster an interest in research by medical students has great value as judged by an overall publication rate of 24.2%. In addition, it provides opportunities to explore areas of interest in depth, acquire research skills, pilot new avenues of research, and create professional networks. Student research program needs to be well founded and well supported including administrative and statistical support.

Medical student journals: promoting academic research and publishing

“…4 Recently, studies have examined academic outcomes from these programmes and found them to result in tangible research outputs, with a journal publication rate ranging between 8.4-33%. [5][6][7][8] This is comparable to the average publication rate of medical student research worldwide (30%). 3…”

Assessing publication rates from medical students’ mandatory research projects in the Netherlands: a follow-up study of 10 cohorts of medical students

“…Indeed, Alamri et al found that students with academic supervisors publish more often than those with non-academic clinicians as supervisor. 50 Previous research has not demonstrated that mandatory research in medical school leads to a more productive academic career. 9 22 This study provides a first insight in scientific engagement in the first years as medical doctor.…”

Sustainable Clinical Academic Training Pathways: A framework for implementation in Oman

“…Examples of various training pathways available globally are presented in Table 1. 9, [14][15][16][17][18][19] d u A dual medical-Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme is a structured pathway which offers students the opportunity to combine their medical training (i.e. a Doctor of Medicine [MD] degree) with a research-based degree (i.e.…”

“…Studentships are a popular form of short-term supervised research experiences available to medical students in several countries. 9 , 19 , 35 Typically, students spend between 8–16 weeks of their summer vacation working on a research project. 9 , 19 , 35 Short-term research projects provide students with a chance to meaningfully contribute to the mainstream medical literature, with research showing that approximately one-third of studentships result in subsequent peer-reviewed publications.…”

“…9 , 19 , 35 Short-term research projects provide students with a chance to meaningfully contribute to the mainstream medical literature, with research showing that approximately one-third of studentships result in subsequent peer-reviewed publications. 19 , 36 …”