As you begin the research experience, you may have a fully developed research idea, you may have a notion about what area of medicine you wish to research, or you may have no idea what you wish to research.  Wherever you find yourself along this continuum, it is wise to discuss your idea – or lack of one – with a member of the CORE Research Office.

If you already have an idea for a research project, we will go over your idea with you; we may suggest ways to refocus your idea to more clearly answer your research question, we may suggest the need for a more thorough literature review, or we may immediately move you on to the next phase of project timeline.

If you have some idea (or no idea) for a research project, we will help you to target a project that excites you; unless you have a keen interest in a research topic, you may lose steam and interest half way through the project.

Some ways that you can begin to generate your own ideas include:

• Keeping your eyes open for interesting clinical cases that may serve as the subjects for case reports.
• Reading journal articles on subjects of interest in various specialties; pay particular attention to author’s conclusions for areas needing further research.
• Keeping a list/journal of all potential research ideas; keep refining the topics and ideas as your knowledge increases.
• Becoming familiar with the ongoing research at your institution; join a project and propose your own research as an offshoot of that project.
• Brainstorming with peers in a specific discipline to determine gaps in overall knowledge and understanding of that specialty.
• Looking for the variation between the articulated standard of care or established practice guidelines and the day-to-day reality of clinical practice; why do variations exist?

Always remember that the CRO staff members are available to discuss your ideas and observations to help you arrive at a viable research idea that can be answered statistically, that is supported by the peer-reviewed literature, and that will contribute to the body of knowledge in medicine.