Research requires much effort, but it is tougher for medical graduates. Recently the Madras Medical College conducted its first Research Day. Secretary to Government of India, Department of Health Research and Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research Rajiv Bahl, who participated at the event, highlighted the demands of medical research for students and young and senior researchers.
His 50-minute speech and interaction with the students were an eye-opener even to senior researchers. Some had concerns about getting their articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Others wanted to know how to frame research proposals. A few others wanted to know how to ensure their proposals were chosen for grants.
Dr. Bahl responded to each question as a seasoned researcher. He urged professors to look not to publish in a high-impact journal initially. However, a researcher with an impact factor of 20 would get funding from the government to publish their work in high-impact journals, he said.
How to access grants
A biochemistry professor wanted to know how a beginner could access grants as they would not have much to show in their curriculum vitae. “Every proposal will solve a problem,” Dr. Bahl said. A person’s curriculum vitae accounts for a small portion, whereas the research idea, methodology, and its feasibility accounted for 80% of the evaluation.
He explained that the Directorate-General of Health Research offered to teach ways to conduct research but refused to dilute quality. “I am willing to open coaching classes but not reduce the marks,” he said.
It is not easy to get articles published in peer-reviewed journals. That said, researchers would do well to get their article reviewed by their peers not involved in the particular research but have the expertise and time to go through the work and offer comments.
Dr. Bahl said one of his articles was rejected multiple times. “But I felt there was something to tell the public.” When articles are sent to a peer-reviewed international journal and they are rejected, a researcher would do well to read the reviews that the article came back with. So, each time an article gets rejected with a review, the team should rework to incorporate the suggestions to add value to the article, he said. “Read the reviews each time,” he advised.
Peer review is vital
“Today, peer review is the only way for me to get a balanced, decent answer about a proposal,” he explained to a radiologist who wondered whether the selection of proposals was done by persons with expertise in the discipline of research. “A research proposal should be reviewed by people with ‘multiple expertise’. We try to build committees with multiple areas of expertise,” he explained.
“It is about what problem you are solving and what benefit you are bringing to the patients,” he told the radiologist who wanted to know if research project proposals in radiology were reviewed by radiologists.
Researchers should focus on multidisciplinary fields as that would enhance patient care, Dr. Bahl suggested during his interaction.
