The decline in numbers of medically trained doctors performing research in recent decades has been widely discussed in the literature.
Many researchers join professional associations. Student-led research societies may play a similar role, facilitating networking with other interested students and researchers, thereby helping students to feel part of the research community, and providing students with opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop relevant skills through organised events. Events organised by student societies vary, but they commonly include talks from inspiring academics, research symposia, careers talks and workshops.
The ability to communicate research findings via academic writing is an essential aspect of academia. While 30% of students undertaking research projects will publish in a conventional journal, eight medical student journals provide an additional outlet for academic work. Some student journals, such as the University of Toronto Medical Journal, have a long history, while a number of new journals have been launched in recent years. Although the total number of such journals is unknown,
To date, there has been no large systematic assessment of the quality of articles published in student journals. However, one study which looked at a specific measure of scientific impact, the H index, identified eight peer reviewed Latin American student publications with an H index of two or more and one with an H index of eleven.
While it is likely that the level of quality control imposed will differ between student journals, they offer a number of potential benefits. Although a student may not have generated a sufficient quality or quantity of data to publish in a conventional journal, submitting to a student journal will provide experience of scientific writing, peer review and the publishing process. Some student journals include students as peer reviewers providing an excellent opportunity to develop critical appraisal skills. Medical student journals often contain articles specifically aimed at to helping students to develop research related skills and some publish letters, commentaries and reviews allowing students, without original data, opportunities to contribute. For those wishing to become involved in medical publishing in their future career, student journals offer a rare opportunity to hone editorial skills.
Research presentations are an important method of disseminating research findings and obtaining critical feedback from peers. While some professional conferences encourage students to attend and present their work, giving your first academic presentation to a large group of experts can be a daunting experience.
Student conferences can allow students to present their work in a less intimidating environment. These conferences are specifically designed to allow students to develop their presentation skills and to receive feedback. Conferences afford opportunities for students to network and can provide recognition for excellence in student research through the award of prizes. The conference program can be specifically tailored towards students’ needs with talks and workshops on topics of interest.
There has been little research into the benefits of student conferences, however, one study demonstrated that attending a medical student conference significantly increased the attendees’ interest in research.
A google search reveals the existence of student research conferences in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. These conferences vary in scale from institution specific one day events to longer events attracting delegates from a number of countries.
The ability to appraise research and practice evidence based medicine is important for clinicians and academics alike. Journal clubs have long been seen by doctors and academics as a way of keeping up to date with medical advances and of achieving a greater understanding of published research. More recently, they have been advocated as a way to improve the reading habits, scientific knowledge and critical appraisal skills of doctors.
While intra-curricular research training and compulsory, elective or vacation research projects should continue to form the mainstay of medical student academic training, student-led initiatives may offer a useful adjunct. They are established and coordinated by interested students, who gain experience in leadership, teamwork and organisation, thus there are no salaries which limits the cost. The students that set-up and run these initiatives are ideally placed to understand what their peers want out of events or publications.
While there is limited empirical evidence on the effects of student-led initiatives in academic medicine, their prevalence and popularity can be taken as an indication that students perceive a need for them and derive some benefit from their activities. Given the need to recruit academic clinicians it is important that further research is undertaken to determine the benefits and limitations of student led initiatives in educating students about research and promoting academic medicine.
The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.