1. Writing for academia: Getting your medical education research into print: AMEE Guide No. 74 Medical Teacher 2012, e1–e9, Early Online Mitra Amini MD MPH Associate Professor of SUMS

2. It is our belief that most effective medical education would benefit everyone, including educators, learners and specially patients Dr Patricia Carney et al

3. Practice points Writing for success is a systematic, disciplined process. The research question should be focused, imbedded in the available literature, and achievable given the available resources. The research design is determined by the question, should conform to ethical educational standards, and should be comprehensively described.

4. . Strategies for writing include starting where it is easiest to do so, spontaneously and uncritically writing the first paragraphs, and identifying and reducing specific barriers to writing.. Getting the final submission ready requires very careful attention to detail and accuracy

5. Choosing a topic and getting started Educational questions can arise from everyday experiences and ideas, whether from clinical rounds or clinical team discussions, ad hoc conversations with colleagues, reading educational texts or articles, educational conferences, or any educational teaching or learning experience.

6. Choosing a topic Choose a topic with a question that is doable Choose a topic area for which you have enthusiasm Identify the importance or significance of the topic Imbed the topic and question in the related literature Look for constructive criticism on the research idea Choose capable, enthusiastic, and compatible team members

7. Methods

8. Questions:  What are students’/teachers’ experiences of learning by teaching method x or y?  How do students/teachers value teaching method x or y? Evidence:  Interviews,  Focus Groups,  Ethnography,  (Sociological) Observational Studies,  Social Surveys Perceptual Questions

9. Questions: o What are the learning needs of students? o What knowledge, skills and attitudes are required? o What learning outcomes are valid and appropriate? Evidence:  Surveys,  Consultative Techniques,  Consensus Statements Survey and Scoping Questions

10. Questions:  Have students’ learning needs been met?  Have the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students require been taught/learned effectively and efficiently?  Have the appropriate learning outcomes been achieved? Evidence:  Surveys,  Controlled Before and After Studies  Analysis of Test and Competences Data  Practice/Observational Analysis Goal Attainment (Effectiveness) Questions

11. Question:  ‘Is teaching method x more (or less) effective than teaching method y in terms of achieving outcome z with n types of students?’ Evidence:  Controlled experiments or quasi-experiments  Randomised Controlled Trials,  Matched Comparison Studies,  Interrupted Time Series Studies,  Regression Discontinuity Designs Comparative Effectiveness Questions

12. Questions:  How (in what ways) does teaching method x work/not work?  Why does teaching method x work or not work?  Under what conditions does x work or not work? Evidence:  Interviews,  Focus Groups,  Panel Surveys,  Ethnographies,  (Sociological) Observational Studies,  Programme Theory Evaluation Constitutive Evidence

13. Questions:  How can teachers communicate effectively with learners?  How can teachers communicate effectively with each other and other stakeholders? Evidence:  Conversation Analysis  Discourse Analysis  Sociolinguistics  Ethnography Communication Questions

14. Questions:  What is the most cost-effective way of teaching in x students?  Is active, problem-based learning more or less cost-effective than passive learning methods? Evidence:  Cost Analysis,  Cost-Benefit Analysis,  Cost Effectiveness Analysis,  Cost Utility Studies Economic Appraisal

15. Questions:  Is it right or wrong for teachers/students to do x or y?  Should x be undertaken if, by doing so, it means that y has to be discontinued? Evidence:  Ethical Analysis  Public Consultation,  Needs Analysis, Ethical Questions

16. Questions:  What do we already know about teaching method x or y?  What are the consistent messages, and what is the variability, in similar-appearing studies? Evidence:  Systematic Reviews  Meta Analysis  Meta Ethnography Research Synthesis

17. Educational Policy Analysis Questions ◦ Is educational policy x superior to educational policy y Evidence ◦ Problem analysis ◦ Situation analysis ◦ Political analysis ◦ Feasibility study ◦ Cost analysis of policy options ◦ Solution Appropriateness Analysis

18. Process Research Question ◦ What amendment are needed to improve the process x? Evidence ◦ CQI Methods (eg. Focus PDCA)

19. Strategies for writing Get started, even with the first paragraph alone Start where it is easiest to do so Follow a relatively set script or structure applicable to the anatomy of the section being written

20. Spontaneously and uncritically write the first draft Find time to write, relatively free of distractions Create a reward system based on the amount written Use the team to help in overcoming specific barriers to writing Be patient, persevere, and have fun

21. Anatomy of the paper Introduction Methods Results Discussion

22. Introduction The ‘‘Introduction’’ section has three important components. The first is to demonstrate the importance or seriousness of the topic area, as well as the relevance or significance The second component is to describe what research has been conducted on the topic area previously, including the strengths and weaknesses of the earlier research.

23. The third is to indicate why the current study was undertaken and how it plans to rectify any weaknesses and contribute to the field.

24. It should also be appreciated that some educational research papers will require a theoretical or conceptual framework in the Introduction. In this case the Introduction might be longer than was indicated above. In this way, papers for educational journals differ from those for biomedical journals, when the latter tend to leave theoretical issues to the ‘‘Discussion’’ section.

25. Methods Because medical education practice is so variable across jurisdictions, countries and schools, it might be helpful to include a specific subsection of the Methods describing the context of the study.

26. Results The Results should not be a mere ‘‘laundry list’’ of data and various statistical comparisons. In approaching the development of the Results, one helpful method is to order the findings in parallel with how the goals were identified in the Introduction and the findings discussed in the ‘‘Discussion’’ section

27. Discussion One of the key goals of the discussion is to link the aims and findings with relevant prior research. In this way, the discussion links back to the introduction to inform the reader about how these new findings are placed into an appropriate context

28. Choosing the journal Medical Teacher, Academic Medicine, Academic Psychiatry, Medical Education, Teaching and Learning in Education, Advances in Health Sciences Education, BMC Medical Education, International Journal of Medical Education

29. Journal of Graduate Medical Education,Journal of Continuing Education in Health Professions, and Journal of the International Association of Medical Science Educators Research in medical sciences (Isfahan) Journal of Advances in medical education and professionalism(Shiraz)

30. Future of medical education journal(Mashhad) Research and development in medical education(Tabriz) مجله ایرانی آموزش در علوم پزشکی ( اصفهان ) مجله گامهای توسعه در آموزش پزشکی ( کرمان )

31. Responding to reviewers as consultants and colleagues. Anticipate that reviewers will provide many suggestions for improvement Respond positively, with thanks, and non- defensively to every comment in turn Provide thoughtful, well-argued, and reasoned responses to important or major recommendations Balance conflicting recommendations Make changes in line with the reviewers’ suggestions at every opportunity

32. Thank You! Any Question?

33. Case Study Consider a patient with signs and symptoms suggesting a malignant intra- abdominal tumor, you have two options: to operate or not to operate