Research Road Map
for Residents in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

15 Steps to a Successful Research Project

1. Meet with your Departmental Research Coordinator
.
• Find out what is expected in your department.
• Talk about potential research areas and mentors.
• APOG Resident research training requirements
• JOGC Commentary (APOG Research Committee)
2. Attend a local or national research methodology course.
   • APOG Introduction to Research Course.
3. Find a qualified mentor (The APOG Educator, Spring 2009)
.
• Are they readily available for advice?
• What is their publication record?
• Do they have research funding?
4. Pose a focused research question.
   • In a (describe the patient) does (the intervention compared to the standard of care or placebo) decrease / increase / predict / prevent (the outcome)?

5. Develop a proposal.
   • Conduct thorough literature search.
   • Check for a systematic review in The Cochrane Library.
   • Collaborate with other content experts. (Queen's University)
   • Propose a methodological approach.
   • Write it down.

6. Meet with methodological specialist.
   • Discuss research design.
   • Estimate sample size. (Rollin Brant)
   • Discuss proposed analysis.
   • Select analytical tools.
   • Discuss compatible data format for Excel spreadsheet that will allow you to import the data into a stats application such as SPSS.
   • Finalize methodological approach.

7. Obtain institutional approval.
   (From Queen's University)
   • Research at Kingston General Hospital
   • Doing research @ KGH
   • Guidelines for Students and Residents

8. Obtain Research Ethics Board (REB) approval.
   (From Queen's University)
   • Sample Patient Information and Consent Form
   • Health Sciences REB
   • Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans
   • Tri-Council Policy Statement (December 2010)
   • Queen's-created Ethics Tutorial [News: October 2011]
   • Course on Research Ethics (CORE) [TCPS Tutorial]

9. Seek funding.
   • Funding agencies
   • Canadian Foundation for Women's Health (CFWH)
   • Grants and awards (SOGC)
   • Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation (PSI)
   • President's Grant for Resident Research (APOG)

10. Register your clinical trial.
    • What is the Clinical Trials Registry? (Veronica Harris-McAllistar)
    • ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Institutes of Health)
    • Registering & Reporting Results with ClinicalTrials.gov (PDF Brochure)
    • RegisterClinicalTrials.gov (Register Here)
    • Frequently Asked Questions (ClinicalTrials.gov)

11. Collect and analyze data.
• How to pick the correct statistic (Phil Hahn)
• Statistical tools
12. Present findings at Dept research day and clinical meetings.
• Associations and Societies
• APOG Annual General Meeting (Toronto, December 7-9, 2012)
• SOGC Annual Clinical Meeting (Calgary, Alberta, June 11-14, 2013)
• PowerPoint presentation tips
• Media tips (Queen's News Centre)
• Media kit (SOGC)
13. Submit manuscript to medical journal.
• Establish authorship credits (John Hoey, CMAJ)
• Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC)
• Instructions for Authors
• Manuscript Central (online submission)
• CONSORT statement (RCT Reporting)
• Uniform requirements for manuscripts (ICMJE)
14. If accepted, revise manuscript according to reviewer's comments.
15. Share a bottle of champagne with coauthors.