Full Description
Statistics, grant writing, and study designs are taught within many textbooks and courses, yet taking research ideas to peer-reviewed publications mandates many practical skills that are often relegated to individual mentors. From evidence-based habits to maximize productivity and team management skills, efficient data collection, prevalent statistical pitfalls, writing convincing cover letters, and compelling response to reviewers, mastering practical skills without intentional instruction from experienced mentors is challenging. For students and early-career academics, mastering these skills—the "hidden curriculum"— can spell the difference between activity and productivity, between a project that is never completed to multiple peer-reviewed publications. For faculty and advisors, having students who master these skills can spell the difference between a dysfunctional and efficient research team, and between a standstill and burgeoning academic career. Based on the "Practical Introduction to Research Skills" course taught at Stanford School of Medicine, this comprehensive yet concise guidebook compiles practical lessons —often missing in existing educational curricula— that could elevate academic productivity of students and early career academics, particularly within, but not exclusive to, the biomedical disciplines.
Contents
Part I. Before the Writing.- Chapter 1. Foundations of Research Efficiency.- Chapter 2. Essential Ingredients of High-Functioning Teams.- Chapter 3. The Manuscript Roadmap and Danger Zones.- Chapter 4. Understanding the Research Landscape and Managing Citations.- Chapter 5. Why Most Studies are False, and How Not to Conduct Most Studies.- Part II. The Writing.- Chapter 6. Why Academic Writing is Simple Writing.- Chapter 7. Title, Abstract, and Introduction: Attracting Shoppers.- Chapter 8. Methods: The Bedrock of Every Study.- Chapter 9: Results: The Words-Figures-Tables Monopoly.- Chapter 10. Discussion and Conclusion: After the Story.- Part III. After the Writing .- Chapter 11. Reviewing your Writing: Be Your Toughest Critic.- Chapter 12. The Cover Letter to Survive the Editorial Desk.- Chapter 13. Responding to Reviewers, Including Reviewer 2.
