RESEARCH BY DESIGNLorie Kloda, MLIS, PhD, AHIP

Assessment Librarian

McGill University

Canadian Health Library Association

Montreal, June 17, 2014

Introductions• Name• Position title• Institution/hospital• City• Experience with research

Today’s outline

8:15 Research plan objectives

8:30 Overview of research plan elements

9:00 The research topic, problem, and objective

9:45 The literature review

10:15 BREAK!

10:30 Methods

11:00 Resources and costs

11:30 Wrap up and further resources

11:45 Evaluation

BURNING QUESTIONWarm-up Activity

Why do I need a plan/proposal?

Some (good) reasons:

• Organize your research project• Convince prospective supporters of its value

• Obtain funding• Find supervisor or collaborators (colleagues)• Ethics approval

• Requires you to focus your thoughts and decide what to do

Plan or proposal?

Plan Guide

Proposal Persuade

What should I include in my plan?• Title• Abstract/summary• Background, context, rationale• Purpose of the study• Literature review• Research design and methods• Ethical issues• Work plan/Timetable• Anticipated results• Dissemination, deliverables• Resources and costs• References

Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine

Boruff, J. T., & Storie, D. (2014). Mobile devices in medicine: A survey of how medical students, residents, and faculty use smartphones and other mobile devices to find information. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 102(1), 22-30. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.102.1.006

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878932/

Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups

Koufogiannakis, D., Buckingham, J., Alibhai, A., & Rayner, D. (2005). Impact of librarians in first-year medical and dental student problem-based learning (PBL) groups: A controlled study. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 22(3), 189-195. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2005.00559.x

Topic, problem, & objective

Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine

Topic(s): mobile devices, information seeking, clinical question answering

Problem: What should librarians provide in terms of support?

Objective: To determine the extent students, residents, and faculty use mobile devices for findinginformation to support their studies/work.

Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups

Topic: Teaching EBM

Problem: Does the librarian play a role? If so, what is the most effective way to make a contribution to medical/dental students’ learning?

Objective: To determine if librarians presence in problem-based learning “small groups” resulted in better learning of EBM concepts by students.

IDENTIFY YOUR RESEARCH OBJECTIVEActivity 1

Literature review

Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine

Areas: Mobile device usage (handhelds, tablets, PDAs)

Information seeking of health professionals (in general, not just doctors)

Sources: health & librarianship databases and journals

health librarianship conferences

health informatics

Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups

Areas: Problem-based learning and librarians’ role

Assessment of EBM learning by students

Librarian role in EBM, teaching students in the health professions

Sources: health, librarianship, and education databases and journals

health librarianship and medical education conferences

LITERATURE REVIEW: TOPICS & SOURCESActivity 2

Methods• Approach• Population of interest• Sampling method• Recruitment method (specify location, setting)• Specific methods, tools and instruments for data collection

and analysis• Research data management

Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine

Approach: Quantitative, observational using survey

Population: Canadian students, residents, faculty

Sampling: 4 universities (McGill, Alberta, Ottawa, Calgary)

Recruitment: Email lists

Methods: Survey questionnaire, SPSS for descriptive stats + read comments

Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups

Approach: Quantitative, controlled study with intervention

Population: Medical students

Sampling: U of Alberta students in 6-week EBM course, random assignment of librarian/control

Recruitment: N/A (students could opt-out)

Methods: Instruments: Pre- and post- tests (likert scales), final exam

Descriptive and inferential statistics

CHOOSE A METHODActivity 3

Resources & costs• Support for your research• Research costs• Research tools

IDENTIFY RESOURCESActivity 4

Wrap-Up

NEXT STEPSWrap-Up Activity