Full Description
Providing easy-to-access information, this unique sourcebook covers the wide range of topics that a researcher must be familiar with in order to become a successful experimental scientist. Perfect for aspiring as well as practicing professionals in the medical and biological sciences it discusses a broad range of topics that are common, yet not traditionally considered part of formal curricula. The information presented also facilitates communication across conventional disciplinary boundaries, in line with the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of modern research projects.
Contents
PrefaceContributorsList of Abbreviations and SymbolsChapter 1 Philosophy of Science1.1 Philosophy of the Natural Sciences1.2 Philosophy of The Social SciencesChapter 2 Ethics and Scientific Conduct2.1 A Brief Introduction to Ethics2.2 Scientific Conduct and Misconduct2.3 Misconduct and Why It Occurs2.4 Fabrication and Other Forms of Misconduct Affecting the Truth Claims of Scientific Findings2.5 Authorship Issues2.6 Salami, Imalas and Duplicate Publication2.7 The Investigation and Punishment of Scientific MisconductAppendix 1Chapter 3 Ethics in Human and Animal Studies3.1 Introduction3.2 Basic Principles of Human Research Ethics3.3 International Regulation3.4 The Ethics of Animal ResearchAppendix 1 World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human SubjectsAppendix 2 Oviedo Convention (Council of Europe, European Treaty Series 164)Appendix 3 Oviedo Convention - Additional Protocol Concerning Biomedical Research, Chapter I-IX (Council of Europe, European Treaty Series 195)Chapter 4 Research Methodology: Strategies, Planning and Analysis4.1 Introduction4.2 Your Scientific Problem4.3 More On Scientific Problems4.4 Literature, Methods and Techniques4.5 Research Conditions4.6 Data Types4.7 Techniques4.8 Repeatability, Reproducibility and Reliability4.9 Validity, Effect Measure and Choice of Statistical Test4.10 Experimental Protocol4.11 Experimental RoutineChapter 5 Literature Search and Personal Reference Databases5.1 Information Literacy5.2 Systematic Literature Search5.3 How to Formulate a Query: PICO5.4 Search Technique5.5 Methodology Filters5.6 Quality: Critical Appraisal5.7 Impact Factor5.8 Principal Bibliographic Databases5.9 Staying Up to Date5.10 Medical and Scientific Internet Search Engines5.11 Personal Reference DatabasesChapter 6 Methods in Molecular Biology6.1 Introduction6.2 Recombinant DNA Technology 6.3 DNA and RNA: Isolation, Identification, Synthesis and Analysis6.4 Practical Applications of DNA/RNA Technology6.5 Protein Analyses6.6 BioinformaticsChapter 7 Strategies and Methods of Basic Medical Research7.1 Introduction7.2 Long-Term Goals and Specific Aims7.3 Background and Significance7.4 Experimental Strategies and Methods7.5 Pilot Studies7.6 Rules for Basic Medical Research ProjectsChapter 8 Clinical Research8.1 Controlled Clinical Trials8.2 Publication Bias8.3 Estimating Sample Size8.4 'Non-Inferiority' Studies8.5 GeneralizationChapter 9 Epidemiology: Concepts and Methods9.1 Introduction9.2 Definitions9.3 The Role of Epidemiology9.4 Population and Sample9.5 Measures of Disease Occurrence, Association, Risk and Implications9.6 Vital Statistics9.7 Study Designs of Epidemiological Studies9.8 Effect Measures in Epidemiological Studies9.9 Experimental Studies and Randomized Control Trials9.10 Measurement Error and Sources of Error9.11 Tests and Validity9.12 Causes of Disease9.13 Association Versus CausalityChapter 10 Qualitative Research10.1 Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research10.2 Using Qualitative Research10.3 What Qualitative Research Cannot be Used for10.4 Samples in Qualitative Studies10.5 Reliability and Validity10.6 Ethical Challenges in Qualitative Research10.7 Qualitative Data Collection10.8 Triangulation10.9 Analyses of Qualitative Data10.10 Releasing Qualitative DataChapter 11 Statistical Issues11.1 Introduction11.2 Effect Measure, Hypothesis Testing and Confidence Interval11.3 Bernoulli Trial11.4 Comparing Two Proportions11.5 Measures of Association in 2 x 2 Tables11.6 Normal Distribution11.7 Comparison of Means11.8 Non-Parametric Methods11.9 Regression AnalysisChapter 12 Evidence-Based Practice and Critical Appraisal of Systematic Reviews12.1 Introduction12.2 Systematic Reviews12.3 Critical Appraisal of a Systematic Review: One Example12.4 SummaryChapter 13 Scientific Communication13.1 Introduction13.2 The Scientific Paper13.3 PostersChapter 14 Successful Lecturing14.1 Introduction14.2 Preparing the Lecture14.3 Lecture Content and Form14.4 Manuscript14.5 Delivering a LectureChapter 15 Guide to Grant Applications15.1 Introduction15.2 Getting Started15.3 The Postdoctoral Fellow and Junior Scientist15.4 What Goes into a Successful Grant Application?15.5 The Investigator-Initiated Research Grant15.6 Multiproject Grants15.7 International Research Collaborations15.8 The European Union's Seventh Framework Program15.9 Summary and PerspectiveIndex
