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• Indian J Anaesth
• v.66(1); 2022 Jan

Dissertation writing in post graduate medical education

Department of Anaesthesiology, Dr. B R Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Mridul M Panditrao

1 Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR), Bathinda, Punjab, India

2 Department of Anaesthesiology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India

Sukhminder Jit Singh Bajwa

3 Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, Patiala, Punjab, India

Nishant Sahay

4 Department of Anaesthesiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, Bihar, India

Thrivikrama Padur Tantry

5 Department of Anaesthesiology, A J Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kuntikana, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

Associated Data

A dissertation is a practical exercise that educates students about basics of research methodology, promotes scientific writing and encourages critical thinking. The National Medical Commission (India) regulations make assessment of a dissertation by a minimum of three examiners mandatory. The candidate can appear for the final examination only after acceptance of the dissertation. An important role in a dissertation is that of the guide who has to guide his protégés through the process. This manuscript aims to assist students and guides on the basics of conduct of a dissertation and writing the dissertation. For students who will ultimately become researchers, a dissertation serves as an early exercise. Even for people who may never do research after their degree, a dissertation will help them discern the merits of new treatment options available in literature for the benefit of their patients.

INTRODUCTION

The zenith of clinical residency is the completion of the Master's Dissertation, a document formulating the result of research conducted by the student under the guidance of a guide and presenting and publishing the research work. Writing a proper dissertation is most important to present the research findings in an acceptable format. It is also reviewed by the examiners to determine a part of the criteria for the candidate to pass the Masters’ Degree Examination.

The predominant role in a dissertation is that of the guide who has to mentor his protégés through the process by educating them on research methodology, by: (i) identifying a pertinent and topical research question, (ii) formulating the “type” of study and the study design, (iii) selecting the sample population, (iv) collecting and collating the research data accurately, (v) analysing the data, (vi) concluding the research by distilling the outcome, and last but not the least (vii) make the findings known by publication in an acceptable, peer-reviewed journal.[ 1 ] The co-guide could be a co-investigator from another department related to the study topic, and she/he will play an equivalent role in guiding the student.

Research is a creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge.[ 2 ] This work, known as a study may be broadly classified into two groups in a clinical setting:

• Trials: Here the researcher intervenes to either prevent a disease or to treat it.
• Observational studies: Wherein the investigator makes no active intervention and merely observes the patients or subjects allocated the treatment based on clinical decisions.[ 3 ]

The research which is described in a dissertation needs to be presented under the following headings: Introduction, Aim of the Study, Description of devices if any or pharmacology of drugs, Review of Literature, Material and Methods, Observations and Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Limitations of the study, Bibliography, Proforma, Master chart. Some necessary certificates from the guide and the institute are a requirement in certain universities. The students often add an acknowledgement page before the details of their dissertation proper. It is their expression of gratitude to all of those who they feel have been directly or indirectly helpful in conduct of the study, data analysis, and finally construction of the dissertation.

Framing the research question (RQ)

It is the duty of the teacher to suggest suitable research topics to the residents, based on resources available, feasibility and ease of conduct at the centre. Using the FINER criteria, the acronym for feasibility, topical interest, novelty, ethicality and relevance would be an excellent way to create a correct RQ.[ 4 ]

The PICOT method which describes the patient, intervention, comparison, outcome and time, would help us narrow down to a specific and well-formulated RQ.[ 5 , 6 ] A good RQ leads to the derivation of a research hypothesis, which is an assumption or prediction of the outcome that will be tested by the research. The research topic could be chosen from among the routine clinical work regarding clinical management, use of drugs e.g., vasopressors to prevent hypotension or equipment such as high flow nasal oxygen to avoid ventilation.

Review of literature

To gather this information may be a difficult task for a fresh trainee however, a good review of the available literature is a tool to identify and narrow down a good RQ and generate a hypothesis. Literature sources could be primary (clinical trials, case reports), secondary (reviews, meta-analyses) or tertiary (e.g., reference books, compilations). Methods of searching literature could be manual (journals) or electronic (online databases), by looking up references or listed citations in existing articles. Electronic database searches are made through the various search engines available online e.g., scholar.google.com, National Library of Medicine (NLM) website, clinical key app and many more. Advanced searches options may help narrow down the search results to those that are relevant for the student. This could be based on synthesising keywords from the RQ, or by searching for phrases, Boolean operators, or utilising filters.

After choosing the topic, an apt and accurate title has to be chosen. This should be guided by the use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terminology from the NLM, which is used for indexing, cataloguing, and searching of biomedical and health-related information.[ 7 ] The dissertation requires a detailed title which may include the objective of the study, key words and even the PICOT components. One may add the study design in the title e.g. “a randomised cross over study” or “an observational analytical study” etc.

Aim and the objectives

The Aims and the Objectives of the research study have to be listed clearly, before initiating the study.[ 8 ] “Gaps” or deficiencies in existing knowledge should be clearly cited. The Aim by definition is a statement of the expected outcome, while the Objectives (which might be further classed into primary and secondary based on importance) should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic or relevant, time-bound and challenging; in short, “SMART!” To simplify, the aim is a statement of intent, in terms of what we hope to achieve at the end of the project. Objectives are specific, positive statements of measurable outcomes, and are a list of steps that will be taken to achieve the outcome.[ 9 ] Aim of a dissertation, for example, could be to know which of two nerve block techniques is better. To realise this aim, comparing the duration of postoperative analgesia after administration of the block by any measurable criteria, could be an objective, such as the time to use of first rescue analgesic drug. Similarly, total postoperative analgesic drug consumption may form a secondary outcome variable as it is also measurable. These will generate data that may be used for analysis to realise the main aim of the study.

Inclusion and exclusions

The important aspect to consider after detailing when and how the objectives will be measured is documenting the eligibility criteria for inclusion of participants. The exclusion criteria must be from among the included population/patients only. e.g., If only American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I and II are included, then ASA III and IV cannot be considered as exclusion criteria, since they were never a part of the study. The protocol must also delineate the setting of the study, locations where data would be collected, and specify duration of conduct of the dissertation. A written informed consent after explaining the aim, objectives and methodology of the study is legally mandatory before embarking upon any human study. The study should explicitly clarify whether it is a retrospective or a prospective study, where the study is conducted and the duration of the study.

Sample size: The sample subjects in the study should be representative of the population upon whom the inference has to be drawn. Sampling is the process of selecting a group of representative people from a larger population and subjecting them for the research.[ 10 ] The sample size represents a number, beyond which the addition of population is unlikely to change the conclusion of the study. The sample size is calculated taking into consideration the primary outcome criteria, confidence interval (CI), power of the study, and the effect size the researcher wishes to observe in the primary objective of the study. Hence a typical sample size statement can be - “Assuming a duration of analgesia of 150 min and standard deviation (SD) of 15 min in first group, keeping power at 80% and CIs at 95% (alpha error at 0.05), a sample of 26 patients would be required to detect a minimum difference (effect size) of 30% in the duration of analgesia between the two groups. Information regarding the different sampling methods and sample size calculations may be found in the Supplementary file 1 .

Any one research question may be answered using a number of research designs.[ 11 ] Research designs are often described as either observational or experimental. The various research designs may be depicted graphically as shown in Figure 1 .

Graphical description of available research designs

The observational studies lack “the three cornerstones of experimentation” – controls, randomisation, and replication. In an experimental study on the other hand, in order to assess the effect of treatment intervention on a participant, it is important to compare it with subjects similar to each other but who have not been given the studied treatment. This group, also called the control group, may help distinguish the effect of the chosen intervention on outcomes from effects caused by other factors, such as the natural history of disease, placebo effects, or observer or patient expectations.

All the proposed dissertations must be submitted to the scientific committee for any suggestion regarding the correct methodology to be followed, before seeking ethical committee approval.

Ethical considerations

Ethical concerns are an important part of the research project, right from selection of the topic to the dissertation writing. It must be remembered, that the purpose of a dissertation given to a post-graduate student is to guide him/her through the process by educating them on the very basics of research methodology. It is therefore not imperative that the protégés undertake a complicated or risky project. If research involves human or animal subjects, drugs or procedures, research ethics guidelines as well as drug control approvals have to be obtained before tabling the proposal to the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). The roles, responsibilities and composition of the Ethics Committee has been specified by the Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India. Documented approval of the Ethics committee is mandatory before any subject can be enroled for any dissertation in India. Even retrospective studies require approval from the IEC. Details of this document is available at: https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/resources/UploadCDSCOWeb/2018/UploadEthicsRegistration/Applmhrcrr.pdf .

The candidate and the guide are called to present their proposal before the committee. The ethical implications, risks and management, subjects’ rights and responsibilities, informed consent, monetary aspects, the research and analysis methods are all discussed. The patient safety is a topmost priority and any doubts of the ethical committee members should be explained in medically layman's terms. The dissertation topics should be listed as “Academic clinical trials” and must involve only those drugs which are already approved by the Drugs Controller General of India. More commonly, the Committee suggests rectifications, and then the researchers have to resubmit the modified proposal after incorporating the suggestions, at the next sitting of the committee or seek online approval, as required. At the conclusion of the research project, the ethics committee has to be updated with the findings and conclusions, as well as when it is submitted for publication. Any deviation from the approved timeline, as well as the research parameters has to be brought to the attention of the IEC immediately, and re-approval sought.

Clinical trial registration

Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) is a free online searchable system for prospective registration of all clinical studies conducted in India. It is owned and managed by the National Institute of Medical Statistics, a division of Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India. Registration of clinical trials will ensure transparency, accountability and accessibility of trials and their results to all potential beneficiaries.

After the dissertation proposal is passed by the scientific committee and IEC, it may be submitted for approval of trial registration to the CTRI. The student has to create a login at the CTRI website, and submit all the required data with the help of the guides. After submission, CTRI may ask for corrections, clarifications or changes. Subject enrolment and the actual trial should begin only after the CTRI approval.

Randomisation

In an experimental study design, the method of randomisation gives every subject an equal chance to get selected in any group by preventing bias. Primarily, three basic types employed in post-graduate medical dissertations are simple randomisation, block randomisation and stratified randomisation. Simple randomisation is based upon a single sequence of random assignments such as flipping a coin, rolling of dice (above 3 or below 3), shuffling of cards (odd or even) to allocate into two groups. Some students use a random number table found in books or use computer-generated random numbers. There are many random number generators, randomisation programs as well as randomisation services available online too. ( https://www-users.york.ac.uk/~mb55/guide/randsery.htm ).

There are many applications which generate random number sequences and a research student may use such computer-generated random numbers [ Figure 2 ]. Simple randomisation has higher chances of unequal distribution into the two groups, especially when sample sizes are low (<100) and thus block randomisation may be preferred. Details of how to do randomisation along with methods of allocation concealment may be found in Supplementary file 2 .

Figure depicting how to do block randomisation using online resources. (a) generation of a random list (b) transfer of the list to an MS excel file

Allocation concealment

If it is important in a study to generate a random sequence of intervention, it is also important for this sequence to be concealed from all stake-holders to prevent any scope of bias.[ 12 ] Allocation concealment refers to the technique used to implement a random sequence for allocation of intervention, and not to generate it.[ 13 ] In an Indian post-graduate dissertation, the sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes (SNOSE) technique is commonly used [ Supplementary file 2 ].

To minimise the chances of differential treatment allocation or assessments of outcomes, it is important to blind as many individuals as possible in the trial. Blinding is not an all-or-none phenomenon. Thus, it is very desirable to explicitly state in the dissertation, which individuals were blinded, how they achieved blinding and whether they tested the success of blinding.

Commonly used terms for blinding are

• Single blinding: Masks the participants from knowing which intervention has been given.
• Double blinding: Blinds both the participants as well as researchers to the treatment allocation.
• Triple blinding: By withholding allocation information from the subjects, researchers, as well as data analysts. The specific roles of researchers involved in randomisation, allocation concealment and blinding should be stated clearly in the dissertation.

Data which can be measured as numbers are called quantitative data [ Table 1 ]. Studies which emphasise objective measurements to generate numerical data and then apply statistical and mathematical analysis constitute quantitative research. Qualitative research on the other hand focuses on understanding people's beliefs, experiences, attitudes, behaviours and thus these generate non-numerical data called qualitative data, also known as categorical data, descriptive data or frequency counts. Importance of differentiating data into qualitative and quantitative lies in the fact that statistical analysis as well as the graphical representation may be very different.

Data collection types

In order to obtain data from the outcome variable for the purpose of analysis, we need to design a study which would give us the most valid information. A valid data or measurement tool, is the degree to which the tool measures what it claims to measure. For example, appearance of end tidal carbon dioxide waveform is a more valid measurement to assess correct endotracheal tube placement than auscultation of breath sounds on chest inflation.

The compilation of all data in a ‘Master Chart’ is a necessary step for planning, facilitating and appropriate preparation and processing of the data for analysis. It is a complete set of raw research data arranged in a systematic manner forming a well-structured and formatted, computable data matrix/database of the research to facilitate data analysis. The master chart is prepared as a Microsoft Excel sheet with the appropriate number of columns depicting the variable parameters for each individual subjects/respondents enlisted in the rows.

Statistical analysis

The detailed statistical methodology applied to analyse the data must be stated in the text under the subheading of statistical analysis in the Methods section. The statistician should be involved in the study during the initial planning stage itself. Following four steps have to be addressed while planning, performing and text writing of the statistical analysis part in this section.

Step 1. How many study groups are present? Whether analysis is for an unpaired or paired situation? Whether the recorded data contains repeated measurements? Unpaired or paired situations decide again on the choice of a test. The latter describes before and after situations for collected data (e.g. Heart rate data ‘before’ and ‘after’ spinal anaesthesia for a single group). Further, data should be checked to find out whether they are from repeated measurements (e.g., Mean blood pressure at 0, 1 st , 2 nd , 5 th , 10 th minutes and so on) for a group. Different types of data are commonly encountered in a dissertation [ Supplementary file 3A ].

Step 2. Does the data follow a normal distribution?[ 14 ]

Each study group as well as every parameter has to be checked for distribution analysis. This step will confirm whether the data of a particular group is normally distributed (parametric data) or does not follow the normal distribution (non-parametric data); subsequent statistical test selection mainly depends on the results of the distribution analysis. For example, one may choose the Student's’ test instead of the ‘Mann-Whitney U’ for non-parametric data, which may be incorrect. Each study group as well as every parameter has to be checked for distribution analysis [ Supplementary File 3B ].

Step 3. Calculation of measures of central tendency and measures of variability.

Measures of central tendency mainly include mean, median and mode whereas measures of variability include range, interquartile range (IQR), SD or variance not standard error of mean. Depending on Step 2 findings, one needs to make the appropriate choice. Mean and SD/variance are more often for normally distributed and median with IQR are the best measure for not normal (skewed) distribution. Proportions are used to describe the data whenever the sample size is ≥100. For a small sample size, especially when it is approximately 25-30, describe the data as 5/25 instead of 20%. Software used for statistical analysis automatically calculates the listed step 3 measures and thus makes the job easy.

Step 4. Which statistical test do I choose for necessary analysis?

Choosing a particular test [ Figure 3 ] is based on orderly placed questions which are addressed in the dissertation.[ 15 ]

Chosing a statistical test, (a). to find a difference between the groups of unpaired situations, (b). to find a difference between the groups of paired situations, (c). to find any association between the variables, (d). to find any agreement between the assessment techniques. ANOVA: Analysis of Variance. Reproduced with permission from Editor of Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, and the author, Dr Barun Nayak[ 15 ]

• Is there a difference between the groups of unpaired situations?
• Is there a difference between the groups of paired situations?
• Is there any association between the variables?
• Is there any agreement between the assessment techniques?

Perform necessary analysis using user-friendly software such as GraphPad Prism, Minitab or MedCalc,etc. Once the analysis is complete, appropriate writing in the text form is equally essential. Specific test names used to examine each part of the results have to be described. Simple listing of series of tests should not be done. A typical write-up can be seen in the subsequent sections of the supplementary files [Supplementary files 3C – E ]. One needs to state the level of significance and software details also.

Role of a statistician in dissertation and data analysis

Involving a statistician before planning a study design, prior to data collection, after data have been collected, and while data are analysed is desirable when conducting a dissertation. On the contrary, it is also true that self-learning of statistical analysis reduces the need for statisticians’ help and will improve the quality of research. A statistician is best compared to a mechanic of a car which we drive; he knows each element of the car, but it is we who have to drive it. Sometimes the statisticians may not be available for a student in an institute. Self-learning software tools, user-friendly statistical software for basic statistical analysis thus gain importance for students as well as guides. The statistician will design processes for data collection, gather numerical data, collect, analyse, and interpret data, identify the trends and relationships in data, perform statistical analysis and its interpretation, and finally assist in final conclusion writing.

Results are an important component of the dissertation and should follow clearly from the study objectives. Results (sometimes described as observations that are made by the researcher) should be presented after correct analysis of data, in an appropriate combination of text, charts, tables, graphs or diagrams. Decision has to be taken on each outcome; which outcome has to be presented in what format, at the beginning of writing itself. These should be statistically interpreted, but statistics should not surpass the dissertation results. The observations should always be described accurately and with factual or realistic values in results section, but should not be interpreted in the results section.

While writing, classification and reporting of the Results has to be done under five section paragraphs- population data, data distribution analysis, results of the primary outcome, results of secondary outcomes, any additional observations made such as a rare adverse event or a side effect (intended or unintended) or of any additional analysis that may have been done, such as subgroup analysis.

At each level, one may either encounter qualitative (n/N and %) or quantitative data (mean [SD], median [IQR] and so on.

In the first paragraph of Results while describing the population data, one has to write about included and excluded patients. One needs to cite the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow chart to the text, at this stage. Subsequently, highlighting of age, sex, height, body mass index (BMI) and other study characteristics referring to the first table of ‘patients data’ should be considered. It is not desirable to detail all values and their comparison P values in the text again in population data as long as they are presented in a cited table. An example of this pattern can be seen in Supplementary file 3D .

In the second paragraph, one needs to explain how the data is distributed. It should be noted that, this is not a comparison between the study groups but represents data distribution for the individual study groups (Group A or Group B, separately)[ Supplementary file 3E ].

In the subsequent paragraph of Results , focused writing on results of the primary outcomes is very important. It should be attempted to mention most of the data outputs related to the primary outcomes as the study is concluded based on the results of this outcome analysis. The measures of central tendency and dispersion (Mean or median and SD or IQR etc., respectively), alongside the CIs, sample number and P values need to be mentioned. It should be noted that the CIs can be for the mean as well as for the mean difference and should not be interchanged. An example of this pattern can be seen in Supplementary file 3F .

A large number of the dissertations are guided for single primary outcome analysis, and also the results of multiple secondary outcomes are needed to be written. The primary outcome should be presented in detail, and secondary outcomes can be presented in tables or graphs only. This will help in avoiding a possible evaluator's fatigue. An example of this pattern can be seen in Supplementary file 3G .

In the last paragraph of the Results, mention any additional observations, such as a rare adverse event or side effect or describe the unexpected results. The results of any additional analysis (subgroup analysis) then need to be described too. An example of this pattern can be seen in Supplementary file 3H .

The most common error observed in the Results text is duplication of the data and analytical outputs. While using the text for summarising the results, at each level, it should not be forgotten to cite the table or graph but the information presented in a table should not be repeated in the text. Further, results should not be given to a greater degree of accuracy than that of the measurement. For example, mean (SD) age need to be presented as 34.5 (11.3) years instead of 34.5634 (11.349). The latter does not carry any additional information and is unnecessary. The actual P values need to be mentioned. The P value should not be simply stated as ‘ P < 0.05’; P value should be written with the actual numbers, such as ‘ P = 0.021’. The symbol ‘<’ should be used only when actual P value is <0.001 or <0.0001. One should try avoiding % calculations for a small sample especially when n < 100. The sample size calculation is a part of the methodology and should not be mentioned in the Results section.

The use of tables will help present actual data values especially when in large numbers. The data and their relationships can be easily understood by an appropriate table and one should avoid overwriting of results in the text format. All values of sample size, central tendency, dispersions, CIs and P value are to be presented in appropriate columns and rows. Preparing a dummy table for all outcomes on a rough paper before proceeding to Microsoft Excel may be contemplated. Appropriate title heading (e.g., Table 1 . Study Characteristics), Column Headings (e.g., Parameter studied, P values) should be presented. A footnote should be added whenever necessary. For outputs, where statistically significant P values are recorded, the same should be highlighted using an asterisk (*) symbol and the same *symbol should be cited in the footnote describing its value (e.g., * P < 0.001) which is self-explanatory for statistically significance. One should not use abbreviations such as ‘NS’ or ‘Sig’ for describing (non-) significance. Abbreviations should be described for all presented tables. A typical example of a table can be seen in Figure 4 .

Example of presenting a table

Graphical images

Similar to tables, the graphs and diagrams give a bird's-eye view of the entire data and therefore may easily be understood. bar diagrams (simple, multiple or component), pie charts, line diagrams, pictograms and spot maps suit qualitative data more whereas the histograms, frequency polygons, cumulative frequency, polygon scatter diagram, box and whisker plots and correlation diagrams are used to depict quantitative data. Too much presentation of graphs and images, selection of inappropriate or interchanging of graphs, unnecessary representation of three-dimensional graph for one-dimensional graphs, disproportionate sizes of length and width and incorrect scale and labelling of an axis should be avoided. All graphs should contain legends, abbreviation descriptions and a footnote. Appropriate labelling of the x - and the y -axis is also essential. Priori decided scale for axis data should be considered. The ‘error bar’ represents SDs or IQRs in the graphs and should be used irrespective of whether they are bar charts or line graphs. Not showing error bars in a graphical image is a gross mistake. An error bar can be shown on only one side of the line graph to keep it simple. A typical example of a graphical image can be seen in Figure 5 . The number of subjects (sample) is to be mentioned for each time point on the x -axis. An asterisk (*) needs to be put for data comparisons having statistically significant P value in the graph itself and they are self-explanatory with a ‘stand-alone’ graph.

Example of an incorrect (a) and correct (b) image

Once the results have been adequately analysed and described, the next step is to draw conclusions from the data and study. The main goal is to defend the work by staging a constructive debate with the literature.[ 16 ] Generally, the length of the ‘ Discussion ’ section should not exceed the sum of other sections (introduction, material and methods, and results).[ 17 ] Here the interpretation, importance/implications, relevance, limitations of the results are elaborated and should end in recommendations.

It is advisable to start by mentioning the RQ precisely, summarising the main findings without repeating the entire data or results again. The emphasis should be on how the results correlate with the RQ and the implications of these results, with the relevant review of literature (ROL). Do the results coincide with and add anything to the prevalent knowledge? If not, why not? It should justify the differences with plausible explanation. Ultimately it should be made clear, if the study has been successful in making some contribution to the existing evidence. The new results should not be introduced and any exaggerated deductions which cannot be corroborated by the outcomes should not be made.

The discussion should terminate with limitations of the study,[ 17 ] mentioned magnanimously. Indicating limitations of the study reflects objectivity of the authors. It should not enlist any errors, but should acknowledge the constraints and choices in designing, planning methodology or unanticipated challenges that may have cropped up during the actual conduct of the study. However, after listing the limitations, the validity of results pertaining to the RQ may be emphasised again.

This section should convey the precise and concise message as the take home message. The work carried out should be summarised and the answer found to the RQ should be succinctly highlighted. One should not start dwelling on the specific results but mention the overall gain or insights from the observations, especially, whether it fills the gap in the existing knowledge if any. The impact, it may have on the existing knowledge and practices needs to be reiterated.

What to do when we get a negative result?

Sometimes, despite the best research framework, the results obtained are inconclusive or may even challenge a few accepted assumptions.[ 18 ] These are frequently, but inappropriately, termed as negative results and the data as negative data. Students must believe that if the study design is robust and valid, if the confounders have been carefully neutralised and the outcome parameters measure what they are intended to, then no result is a negative result. In fact, such results force us to critically re-evaluate our current understanding of concepts and knowledge thereby helping in better decision making. Studies showing lack of prolongation of the apnoea desaturation safety periods at lower oxygen flows strengthened belief in the difficult airway guidelines which recommend nasal insufflations with at least 15 L/min oxygen.[ 19 , 20 , 21 ]

Publishing the dissertation work

There are many reporting guidelines based upon the design of research. These are a checklist, flow diagram, or structured text to guide authors in reporting a specific type of research, developed using explicit methodology. The CONSORT[ 22 ] and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) initiatives,[ 23 ] both included in the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) international network, have elaborated appropriate suggestions to improve the transparency, clarity and completeness of scientific literature [ Figure 6 ].

Equator publishing tree

All authors are advised to follow the CONSORT/STROBE checklist attached as Supplementary file 4 , when writing and reporting their dissertation.

For most dissertations in Anaesthesiology, the CONSORT, STROBE, Standards for Reporting Diagnostic accuracy studies (STARD) or REporting recommendations for tumour MARKer prognostic studies (REMARK) guidelines would suffice.

Abstract and Summary

These two are the essential sections of a dissertation.

It should be at the beginning of the manuscript, after the title page and acknowledgments, but before the table of contents. The preparation varies as per the University guidelines, but generally ranges between 150 to 300 words. Although it comes at the very beginning of the thesis, it is the last part one writes. It must not be a ‘copy-paste job’ from the main manuscript, but well thought out miniaturisation, giving the overview of the entire text. As a rule, there should be no citation of references here.

Logically, it would have four components starting with aims, methods, results, and conclusion. One should begin the abstract with the research question/objectives precisely, avoiding excessive background information. Adjectives like, evaluate, investigate, test, compare raise the curiosity quotient of the reader. This is followed by a brief methodology highlighting only the core steps used. There is no need of mentioning the challenges, corrections, or modifications, if any. Finally, important results, which may be restricted to fulfilment (or not), of the primary objective should be mentioned. Abstracts end with the main conclusion stating whether a specific answer to the RQ was found/not found. Then recommendations as a policy statement or utility may be made taking care that it is implementable.

Keywords may be included in the abstract, as per the recommendations of the concerned university. The keywords are primarily useful as markers for future searches. Lastly, the random reader using any search engine may use these, and the identifiability is increased.

The summary most often, is either the last part of the Discussion or commonly, associated with the conclusions (Summary and Conclusions). Repetition of introduction, whole methodology, and all the results should be avoided. Summary, if individually written, should not be more than 150 to 300 words. It highlights the research question, methods used to investigate it, the outcomes/fallouts of these, and then the conclusion part may start.

References/bibliography

Writing References serves mainly two purposes. It is the tacit acknowledgement of the fact that someone else's written words or their ideas or their intellectual property (IP) are used, in part or in toto , to avoid any blame of plagiarism. It is to emphasise the circumspective and thorough literature search that has been carried out in preparation of the work.

Vancouver style for referencing is commonly used in biomedical dissertation writing. A reference list contains details of the works cited in the text of the document. (e.g. book, journal article, pamphlet, government reports, conference material, internet site). These details must include sufficient details so that others may locate and access those references.[ 24 ]

How much older the references can be cited, depends upon the university protocol. Conventionally accepted rule is anywhere between 5-10 years. About 85% of references should be dispersed in this time range. Remaining 15%, which may include older ones if they deal with theories, historical aspects, and any other factual content. Rather than citing an entire book, it is prudent to concentrate on the chapter or subsection of the text. There are subjective variations between universities on this matter. But, by and large, these are quoted as and when deemed necessary and with correct citation.

Bibliography is a separate list from the reference list and should be arranged alphabetically by writing name of the ‘author or title’ (where no author name is given) in the Vancouver style.

There are different aspects of writing the references.[ 24 ]

Citing the reference in the form of a number in the text. The work of other authors referred in the manuscript should be given a unique number and quoted. This is done in the order of their appearance in the text in chronological order by using Arabic numerals. The multiple publications of same author shall be written individually. If a reference article has more than six authors, all six names should be written, followed by “ et al .” to be used in lieu of other author names. It is desirable to write the names of the journals in abbreviations as per the NLM catalogue. Examples of writing references from the various sources may be found in the Supplementary file 5 .

Both the guide and the student have to work closely while searching the topic initially and also while finalising the submission of the dissertation. But the role of the guide in perusing the document in detail, and guiding the candidate through the required corrections by periodic updates and discussions cannot be over-emphasised.

Assessment of dissertations

Rarely, examiners might reject a dissertation for failure to choose a contemporary topic, a poor review of literature, defective methodology, biased analysis or incorrect conclusions. If these cannot be corrected satisfactorily, it will then be back to the drawing board for the researchers, who would have to start from scratch to redesign the study, keeping the deficiencies in mind this time.

Before submission, dissertation has to be run through “plagiarism detector” software, such as Turnitin or Grammarly to ensure that plagiarism does not happen even unwittingly. Informal guidelines state that the percentage plagiarism picked up by these tools should be <10%.

No work of art is devoid of mistakes/errors. Logically, a dissertation, being no exception, may also have errors. Our aim, is to minimise them.

The dissertation is an integral part in the professional journey of any medical post-graduate student. It is also an important responsibility for a guide to educate his protégé, the basics of research methodology through the process. Searching for a gap in literature and identification of a pertinent research question is the initial step. Careful planning of the study design is a vitally important aspect. After the conduct of study, writing the dissertation is an art for which the student often needs guidance. A good dissertation is a good description of a meticulously conducted study under the different headings described, utilising the various reporting guidelines. By avoiding some common errors as discussed in this manuscript, a good dissertation can result in a very fruitful addition to medical literature.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

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Recent Submissions

Therapeutic strategies in pemphigus vulgaris and foliaceus: a systematic review and network meta-analysis and a retrospective cohort study , anosognosia, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in the alzheimer's disease spectrum , her2-low breast cancer: clinical characteristics, prognosis, and evolution from diagnosis to residual disease .

Home > USC Columbia > Medicine, School of > Biomedical Science > Biomedical Science Theses and Dissertations

Biomedical Science Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Gluten Free Diet Ameliorates SI Enteropathy in IGA Deficient Mice , Ryan Albert William Ball

Progressive Neurochemical, Neuroinflammatory and Cognitive Deficits in an Experimental Model of Gulf War Illness , Hannah Elizabeth Burzynski

Effects Of Chronic Stress On Working Memory Are Sex-specific And Age-dependent , Tyler Jamison Cox

Aortopathies: Mechanism of Pathogenesis and Therapy , Mengistu G. Gebere

Leptin, Serotonin, and the Control of Food Intake , Nicholas David Maxwell

Targeting Macrophages in Cancer Models Using Natural Compounds , Sierra Jordan McDonald

Neurodevelopmental and Transient Impacts of Brain Kynurenic Acid Elevation and Sleep-Wake Behavior , Katherine Rentschler

Exploration Into the Relationship Between Colitis and Depression: A Potential Role for the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor , Kasie Lynn Roark

B-Cell-Specific MHCII Promotes Host-Microbiome Symbiosis , Mary Melissa Roland

Cardiac Imaging in Mice With Micro-Computed Tomography: An Assessment , Kyle Porter Stegmann

Impact Of Steroid Receptor And Hormone Manipulation In Skeletal Muscle: Implications For Glucose Metabolism And Insulin Sensitivity In Male Mice , Christian Aaron Unger

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Role of Epigenome in Regulation of Inflammation By AHR Ligands 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin and 6-Formylindolo[3,2-B] Carbazole , Alkeiver Cannon

Neurochemical, Molecular, and Behavioral Effects of Intranasal Insulin , Jennifer Marie Erichsen

Sex Differences and Potential Non-invasive Treatments for Calcific Aortic Valve Disease , Henry Pascal Helms

Decellularization Strategies of Naturally Derived Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications , Julia Elizabeth Hohn

Role of AhR in the Epigenetic Regulation of Immune Cells in Lungs During Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome , Bryan Latrell Holloman

The Submission of a Section 513(g) Request For Information , Morgan Ashley Lano

Engineering and Optimization of an AAV Based Viral Vector to Limit the In-Vitro Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Protein , Ronald Anderson Smithwick

In Vitro and in Vivo Studies of Mediator Kinase , Lili Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Role of AhR Ligands in Immune Modulation to Suppress Inflammation Through the Regulation of Microrna and Gut Microbiome , Osama Azeldeen Abdulla

Role of Estrogen in Regulating Diet-Induced Obesity in Females , Ahmed Aladhami

Impact of Acetylcholine on Internal Pathways To Basal Amygdala Pyramidal Neurons , Tyler Daniel Anderson-Sieg

Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Derived Cancers: A Novel Study on Growth and Growth Suppression Utilizing Common Colorectal Cancer Agents , Raymond Kennith Bogdon

Impact of Acetylcholine on Amygdala Network Oscillations , Joshua Xavier Bratsch-Prince

Real Time Neurochemical Analysis of the Brain For Pharmacological Treatments in Mood Disorders And Neurodegeneration , Anna Marie Buchanan

Regulation of Inflammatory Processes by Tryptamine, Cannabidiol and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin , Nicholas Dopkins

Study of the Effect of B-Cell-Intrinsic Mhcii Antigen Presentation on Germinal Center B Cell Evolution Using The Brainbow Mouse Model , Nia Hall

Mechanism of Therapeutic Efficacy of New Drugs in Glioblastoma , Firas Hameed Khathayer

The Effect of Low Dose Penicillin on Tumor Development in Apc Min/+ Mice , Kinsey Ann Sierra Meggett

Defining the Pathophysiology of Gut Humoral Immunodeficiency , Ahmed Dawood Mohammed

The Role PDE11A4 Signaling and Compartmentalization in Social Behavior , Kaitlyn Pilarzyk

Anatomical Correlates of Age-Related Basal Forebrain Dysfunction , Brandy Lynn Somera

A Novel Model to Study Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Differentiation , Austin N. Worden

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Molecular Mechanisms of Loss of E7 Expression in HPV16 – Transformed Human Keratinocytes , Fadi Farooq Abboodi

17 β-Estradiol and Phytoestrogens Attenuate Apoptotic Cell Death in HIV-1 Tat Exposed Primary Cortical Cultures , Sheila Marie Adams

Helicobacter’s Effects on Colitis/Colon Cancer and the Response to Indole 3-Carbinol , Rasha Raheem Abdulhamza Alkarkoushi

A Comparative Study of Cannabinoids & CB1 Receptor GI Signaling , Haley Kristen Andersen

Expansion Microscopy: A New Approach to Microscopic Evaluation , Ashley Ferri

The Role of Acute and Chronic Neuroinflammation in Depression: Uncovering the Relationship Between Histamine and Serotonin Transmission , Melinda Hersey

The Use of Natural Anthraquinone Emodin as a Primary and Complementary Therapeutic in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer , Alexander-Jacques Theodore Sougiannis

The Effects of Super-Resolution Microscopy on Colocalization Conclusions Previously Made With Diffraction-Limited Systems in the Biomedical Sciences , Madison Emily Yemc

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Role of Epigenome and Microbiome in Cannabinoid and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Mediated Regulation of Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases , Zinah Zamil Al-Ghezi

Tissue-Specific Roles of Transforming Growth Factor Beta Ligands in Cardiac Outflow Tract Malformations and Calcific Aortic Valve Disease , Nadia Al-Sammarraie

Role of Epigenetic, Molecular and Cellular Pathways in the Regulation of Inflammation , William James Becker

Neurochemical and Behavioral Outcomes of Intranasal Orexin Administration in Young and Aged Animals , Coleman Blaine Calva

Interdependent Mechanisms of Stress Susceptibility , Julie Elaine Finnell

Astrocyte Sensitivity to Dopamine in Culture and Ex Vivo , Ashley L. Galloway

Three-Dimensional Plasma Cell Survival Microniche in Multiple Myeloma , Katrina A. Harmon

Role of Epigenome and Microbiome in Endocannabinoid-Mediated Regulation of Inflammation During Diet-Induced Obesity , Kathryn Miranda

Epigenetic and Purinergic Regulation of Mast Cells Mediator Release , Zahraa Abdulmohsin Mohammed

Effect of TCDD, an Environmental Contaminant, on Activation of AHR Leading to Induction of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCS) and the Ability of Resveratrol, a Botanical, to Neutralize this Effect , Wurood Hantoosh Neamah

An Anatomical Basis of the Differential Cholinergic Modulation of Valence-Specific Pyramidal Neurons in the Basolateral Amygdala , Nguyen Vu

Analysis of Cellular Interactions Within a Collagen Hydrogel , Austin N. Worden

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Role of Mammary Microenvironment in Promoting Left-Right Differences in Tumor Progression, Metastasis, and Therapeutic Response , Huda Issa Atiya

Enhancements in Alginate Microencapsulation Technology & Impacts on Cell Therapy Development , Marwa Belhaj

Effect Of Resveratrol On The Development Of Eczema , Christopher Carlucci

The Nervous System And Cancers Of The Head And Neck , Christian A. Graves

Turning Up Antitumor Immunity Against Breast Cancer , Johnie Hodge

Exploring Alternative Therapeutic Interventions For The Treatment Of Leigh Syndrome , Stephanie Martin

Regulation Of Prostaglandin D2 And Angiogenesis-Related Factors From Human Skin Mast Cells By Interleukin-6 And Resveratrol , Cody Cody McHale

Advanced Clearing Methods and Imaging Techniques for Optimized Three- Dimensional Reconstruction of Dense Tissues , Caleb A. Padgett

Role Of MIR-489 In HER2 Positive Breast Cancer , Yogin Patel

Operation Of The Leica SP8 Multiphoton Confocal System Using Single Or Multiple Fluorochromes , Amy E. Rowley

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Garlic Inhibits Inflammation during Dengue Infection , Alex R. Hall

Functional Role of the Homeobox Transcription Factor Six1 in Neoplastic Transformation of Human Keratinocytes , Maria Hosseinipour

Individual Differences in Markers of Cholinergic Signaling Correlating to Fear and Extinction Learning , Grace C. Jones

The Role Of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 In Vascular Disease , Desiree Leach

Succination Impairs Protein Folding and Promotes Chop Stability in the Adipocyte during Diabetes , Allison Manuel

Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor M1’s Impact on Fear Extinction Learning , Joshua R. McElroy

Hemodynamic Regulation Of Cardiac Valve Development , Vinal Menon

The Role Of Inflammation In Atherosclerosis , Fatma Saaoud

Synergism of Quercetin and Sodium Butyrate for Controlling Growth of Glioblastoma , Matthew Alan Taylor

Mast Cells and Lipid Cross-Talk in Skin Inflammation , Piper Alexandra Wedman

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Tumor Suppressor p53 Response To UV Light In Normal Human Keratinocyte Strains From Different Individuals , Fadi Farooq Abboodi

Vitamin D and Stress Fractures in Collegiate and Professional Athletes , Christian Michael Askew

Linking Obesity & Breast Cancer: Role Of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 And High Fat Diet-Induced Inflammation On Mammary Tumorigenesis , Taryn L. Cranford

The Identification Of The Direct And Indirect Pathways Through Which Leptin Facilitates Synaptic Plasticity In The Hippocampus , Catherine Van Doorn

Morphogenic Effects Of Dopamine In Cultured Rat Hippocampal Astrocytes , Ashley L. Galloway

Emodin Regulates Macrophage Polarization: Application In Breast Cancer Treatment , Stephen Iwanowycz

Differences In Resting-State Functional Connectivity Of Chronic Migraine, With And Without Medication Overuse Headache, And The Effectiveness Of Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block As A Treatment For Repairing Dysfunctional Connectivity. , Kaitlin Krebs

Prospective Assessment Of Health Disparities And Injury Risk Factors At Basic Combat Training At Ft. Jackson , Kristin Lescalleet

Transcriptional And Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of NRF2 In The Heart By The Deubiquitinase CYLD , Bryan J. Mathis

Regulation of Chronic and Acute Inflammatory Disease by microRNA and Microbiota , Pegah Mehrpouya-Bahrami

The Effect of Arsenic on Type 2 Diabetes and Inflammation , Kayla Penta

Factors Influencing The Collagen Fiber Angle Distribution in The Mouse Aorta , Shana Roach Watson

The Role of Epidermal Stem/Progenitor-Like Cells In HPV-Mediated Pre-Neoplastic Transformation , Yvon L. Woappi

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Extensive Genome Rearrangements of Caulobacter K31 and Genomic Diversity of type B3 Bacteriophages of Caulobacter Crescentus , Kurt Taylor Ash

Evaluating Muscle Fiber Architecture , Morgan Ashley Flahive

Characterization of STARD4 and STARD6 Proteins in Human Ovarian Tissue and Human Granulosa Cells and Cloning of Human STARD4 Transcripts , Aisha Shaaban

Cannabinoid-mediated Epigenetic Regulation of Immune Functions , Jessica Margaret Sido

The Effect of 3D Collagen Scaffolds on Regulating Cellular Responses , Chad Simmons

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Metformin Arrests Growth and Induces Apoptosis of Neuroblastoma Cells , Nadia Al-Sammarraie

Cellular and Biochemical Effects of Sparstolonin B on Endothelial Cells to Inhibit Angiogenesis , Marwa Belhaj

An Evolutionary Perspective on Infectious and Chronic Disease , John Eberth

Status Epilepticus Induced Alterations in Hippocampal Anatomy and Neurotransmission , Denise K. Grosenbaugh

The Cardio-Protective Effects of Substance P in Both Ischemia/Reperfusion and and Short-Term Hypoxia Rat Models , Shaiban Jubair

MUSCARINIC MODULATION OF BASOLATERAL AMYGDALA , Lei Liu

MCP-1 In Colorectal Cancer: Benefits of Exercise , Jamie Lee McClellan

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) mediates immune suppression via modulation of microRNA expression in mice , Martine Menard

Effects of cPLA-2 on the Migration and Proliferation of Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and the 2-D Migratory Patterns of Tropomyosin in Femoral and Abdominal Aorta Tissue , Jaimeson Thomas Powell

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Master of Public Health

A thesis is a substantive and original body of work that allows the student to synthesize and integrate knowledge from their public health course work and practicum experiences, apply it to a particular topic area, and communicate their ideas and findings through a scholarly written product. The thesis represents the culmination of the student’s educational experience in the Vanderbilt MPH Program.

The thesis may take on different formats, depending on the student’s track focus and interests. Regardless of the format chosen, the student must apply critical thought, systematic analysis, and clear presentation.

Each student is responsible for identifying a topic and appropriate format for their thesis with the assistance and guidance of faculty advisers and faculty thesis readers.

The practicum product must be distinct from the thesis. Although the practicum and thesis can be related, the student must be able to articulate how the two projects are independent from one another. The practicum is a practice experience that allows students to apply and develop skills in public health concepts. The thesis is the synthesis and integration of knowledge acquired in coursework and through the practicum and results in an original scholarly work.

View selection of published theses

Additionally, students have the option to pursue publishing their thesis products in scholarly journals.

2024 Thesis Topics

2023 thesis topics, 2022 thesis topics, 2021 thesis topics, 2020 thesis topics, 2019 thesis topics, 2018 thesis topics, 2017 thesis topics, 2016 thesis topics, 2015 thesis topics, 2014 thesis topics, 2013 thesis topics, 2012 thesis topics.

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Recent Pharmacology Theses

Here is a list of students who have recently defended their Ph.D. Thesis in Pharmacology, along with a brief description of their thesis work.

3/14/24 Jianan Zhang - “Structural and Biophysical Regulation of the Receptor Tyrosine Kinases dROS1 and ErbB3”

03/10/2023 Joel Sexton - Disentangling Sequence Constraints on the Coflin N-terminal Phosphorylation Site

Mar 2023 Iris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh - Kinase Dynamics Underlie Mechanisms of Sensitivity and Resistance of EGFR with LUAD Mutations to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Feb 2023 Zechen Wang (Anderson Lab) - Tackling FGFR Fusion-Positive Cancers with a Novel Synergistic Combination of FGFR and HDAC Inhibitors

Mar 2022 Chun Hu - Understanding distinct roles of EGFR family mutations in different cancers

Feb 2022 Michael Bond - Towards Tumor-Cell Specific Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras: Identification of first-in-class degraders of oncogenic KRASG12C, DcpS, and MAGE-A3

Jan 2022 Joshua Sheetz - The Dead Receptor Paradox: Insights into Receptor Tyrosine Kinases with Intracellular Pseudokinase Domains

Jan 2022 Joseph Fowler - Inflammatory stress disrupts endothelial cell cholesterol homeostasis and increases SREBP2-dependent gene expression to amplify the acute inflammatory response

Aug 2021 Courtney Smith - Regulation of TIM-3 by Phosphatidylserine

Jul 2021 Brian Shi - Proteome-wide screening for mitogen-activated protein kinase docking motifs and interactors

03/02/2021 Eunice Cho - PPP6C Regulation of ERK Signaling in Melanoma

02/15/2021 Ban Edani - Structural Elucidation of the cis-prenyltransferase NgBR/DHDDS Complex Reveals Novel Insights in Regulation of Protein Glycosylation

12/14/2020 Shanique Alabi - Mutant-selective Degradation by BRAF-targeting PROTACs

11/20/2020 Valerie Su - Serine Phosphorylation of ICAP1 Inhibits its Nuclear Accumulation

11/04/2020 Vincent Duong - Evaluation of NRTI-mediated toxicity through the human mitochondrial polymerase PrimPol

08/04/2020 Victor Ruiz - Computer-Aided Discovery of New Inhibitors of C. hominis Thymidylate Synthase-Dihydrofolate Reductase

01/15/2020 Keith Weise - Regulation of activity and localization of the budding yeast kinases Kin1 and Kin2

01/10/2020 Eric Rosenberg - Perturbing the activities of chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR5

11/25/2019 Yasmin Kadry - Biochemical and functional characterization of kindlin interactions

09/23/2019 Ashley Sizer - O-GlcNAc transferase-dependent regulation of serum response factor and vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype

03/01/2019 Zachary Gannam - Exploring the allosteric inhibition of a MAPK phosphatase linked to Duchenne muscular dystrophy

01/24/19 William Gray - Nucleoid Size Scaling and Intracellular Organization of Translation Across Bacteria.

01/14/19 Lee Ying - Epigentic Approaches to Understanding Adipogenesis, and Translational Approaches to Treating Obesity.

10/05/18 Molly Ryan - Understanding the Consequences of Oncogenic FGFR Mutations on Drug Resistance, Signaling, and Tumorigenesis

09/27/18 Daniel Iwamoto - Structural basis of the filamin A actin-binding domain interaction with F-actin

09/12/18 Lie Ma - Elucidation of the Activated State of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor

09/10/18 David E. Puleo -Targeting the Mutant JAK2 V617F Tyrosine Kinase by Small Molecules that Bind to its Pseudokinase Domain

03/01/18 Tomoaki Sasaki - Characterization of APOBEC3 Family Proteins as Potent DNA Mutators in Human Cancers

02/12/18 Elizabeth Mo - Augmentors are in vivo ligands to the ALK family of receptor tyrosine kinases: function and evolution

09/26/17 Chad Miller - Comprehensive Profiling of a Kinase Family Defines Features Essential for Selective Substrate Targeting

11/30/2016 Amelia Luciano - The Role of Akt1 & Clock S845 phosphorylation in Circadian Regulated Transcriptional Rhythms

09/23/2016 Allison Goldberg - An Exosite Required for Efficient Targeting of MAP Kinase Kinases by the Metalloproteinase Antrax Lethal Factor

08/12/2016 Yagmur Muftuoglu - Mechanisms of substrate specificity and insights into activation of phosphatidylionositol phosphate kinases

06/02/2016 Andrea Mislak - Insights into the Activity, Resistance, and Toxicity of Antivirals Targeting HIV Reverse Transcriptase

02/23/16 Phillip Murray - Discovery and Characterization of Ligands for the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ALK: AUG-alpha, AUG-beta and Heparin

12/10/15 Yifei Yang - Molecular basis for Polycystin- 2 channel regulation and assembly its C-terminal tail

12/08/15 Jacqueline Heiss - Prion Protein Regulates Amyloid- Beta Dendritic Spine Pathology in a Mouse model if Alzheimer's Disease

10/15/15 Celeste Greer - Histone Deacetylases Positively Regulate Transcriptional Elongation

2/24/15 Oriana Fisher - Structural studies of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations 2 (CCM2) reveal the basis for its interactions with protein binding

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Medicinal Chemistry Dissertations and Theses

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Recent Submissions

STUDIES OF INTERACTIONS OF SMALL MOLECULES WITH MEMBRANES AND PROTEINS 

Discovery of Novel Inhibitors of Cellular Efflux by High-Content Screening with a Fluorescent Mimic of Taxol 

Synthesis and Evaluation of Fluorescent Tools for Studies of Cancer Biology 

Strategies for the Fluorine-Retentive Functionalization of Gem-Difluoroalkenes 

Studies of novel targeted drug delivery systems and molecular probes of cancer biology 

Investigation of the Phenyl Ring of Imidazoquinolines 

A New Generation of Isoform Selective Hsp90 Inhibitors: Targeting the Cytosolic Hsp90 Isoforms 

The Development of Organelle-localized Hsp90 Isoform-selective Inhibitors 

Exploration of Salvinorin A for the Development of Pain and Addiction Therapies 

I. Development of Bisamides as Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonists. II. Potency Enhancement of Sulfonamide-based Kappa Opioid Receptor Antagonists. III. Asymmetric Acyl Transfer Reactions Catalyzed by a Cyclic Peptide. 

Design and synthesis of cyclic analogs of the kappa opioid receptor antagonist arodyn 

Advances in Heterocyclic Synthesis through Ring Expansions and Flow Chemistry 

Exploration of the Mechanisms of Adjuvanticity for Toll-like Receptor Agonists 

The Development of Small Molecules that Modulate Molecular Chaperones Hsp90 and Hsp70 

Synthetic Strategies to Access Biologically Important Fluorinated Motifs: Fluoroalkenes and Difluoroketones 

Design and Synthesis of Functionally Selective Kappa Opioid Receptor Ligands 

Copper-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Trifluoromethylation Reactions 

An Improved Synthesis of the Pacific Blue Fluorophore and Fluorescence-based Studies of Receptor-Ligand Interactions 

Unfolding the Hsp90 Foldasome: Structure-Activity Relationship Studies on EGCG and Development of Isoform-Selective Inhibitors 

SYNTHESIS AND PHENOTYPIC DISCOVERY OF MOLECULAR PROBES OF BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 

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Master of Science Degree in Epidemiology and Clinical Research

Advisors and mentors.

MS students in the Graduate Program in Epidemiology and Clinical Research have two mentors. Upon  entering the program, each student is assigned a methodology mentor, usually a core faculty member.  In addition, the student will be asked to identify a research mentor. For all students, research mentors are typically members of the Stanford University professoriate, but they need not be currently  designated as faculty in E&PH. For physicians, this mentor is usually from the discipline of the student’s  clinical affiliation. For example, physicians who maintain an affiliation with another university can often  arrange to include a research mentor from the other university if the student’s research takes place, in  part, at that university. If the research mentor is from the E&PH, then the same faculty member may  serve as both methodology and research mentor, with permission of the program director. 

The methodology mentor serves as the student’s Academic Advisor and is responsible for advising in the selection of courses, approving a thesis research topic, monitoring the student’s progress through the program, and helping with other program-related issues that may arise. If a student’s thesis research requires additional expertise that is not covered by those of the methodology or research mentors (e.g., outcomes research or advanced statistical methods), a third mentor may be appointed with approval of the methodology mentor.

The completion of a master thesis is an essential component of the MS degree, allowing students a chance to integrate epidemiologic principles learned in courses and to demonstrate:

• Familiarity with epidemiologic terms, reasoning and issues.
• Ability to communicate scientific reasoning and argue analytically.
• Awareness of technical, methodological and other issues relevant to traditional and clinical epidemiologic research.
• Comprehension of statistical techniques, their proper use and limitations.
• Knowledge in a substantive area.

The thesis is ordinarily 30 to 60 pages in length, double-spaced, including tables, figures and references. Each thesis must include a summary abstract of approximately 400 to 800 words. The thesis can take one of the four following forms:

• Original analysis of data, whether collected primarily for the thesis or as secondary data analysis. This thesis form is most commonly selected by students.
• A comprehensive literature review with a meta-analysis of data or a critical reanalysis of data.
• Evaluation of a methodologic problem using real or hypothetical data.
• A comprehensive literature review with a grant proposal (NIH-style format) for a new study to bridge a gap in the existing knowledge. The proposal should highlight methodologic principals.

The quality of the Master's thesis should be such that it can be converted into a manuscript for publication or a credible research grant application, and students are strongly encouraged to do so. Students are required to present their research findings during a session of EPI 236: Epidemiology Research Seminar.

Thesis Committee

Each student’s Master’s Thesis Committee is composed of at least two faculty members, an  epidemiology core reader and a co-reader. The epidemiology core reader, who is typically the student’s  methodology mentor, serves as the principal thesis advisor. The co-reader is typically the research mentor. The epidemiology core reader is ordinarily a member of the Stanford Academic Council and should be listed as the instructor for at least 9 of the required 12 Master’s thesis (research) units (EPI 399).  

Registration for Master’s thesis units must be approved by the core reader. If the student’s thesis research requires expertise beyond that covered by the mentoring team described above, a third faculty mentor may be appointed as a thesis reader. This appointment must be requested by the student and  approved by the core reader. Primary supervision during thesis research and writing is shared by the  core reader and the co-reader.

Completion of the Master’s thesis involves registration for at least 12 units of Master’s thesis research over a period of two or more quarters. During the first quarter of research, a proposal for the thesis must be submitted to thesis readers when the project is early in its conceptual stages. The purpose is for  the student to obtain guidance from the Thesis Committee about specific aims, study design features,  and analytic methods before commencing on the project. The Master’s Thesis Committee will notify the  student of its decision within two weeks of receipt of the proposal. Rejected proposals can be  resubmitted before the end of the quarter.

Registration for the second quarter of Master’s thesis units can take place only after successful completion of the first quarter thesis requirements. In the quarter the student expects to graduate, the  Master’s thesis should be completed and submitted to the readers, allowing sufficient time for readers’  comments and for revisions that might be required. A student should ordinarily expect readers’  comments within two weeks of submission. The final version should be submitted at least two weeks  before the end of the quarter. A suggested format for the thesis is available from the department  Educational Program Manager. An electronic copy of the approved thesis, with three original signature  sheets should be sent to the Binding and Finishing department at least 72 hours before the deadline. Send the PDF, including the signature page, to the Educational Program Manager.

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Home > CNS > BIOCHEM > BIOCHEM_THESES

Biochemistry Department Masters Theses Collection

Theses from 2020 2020.

Assessing Stress Tolerance of Organelle Small Heat Shock Protein Mutants in Arabidopsis Thaliana , Parth Patel, Biochemistry

Investigation of SHOT1-binding ATPases in Arabidopsis thaliana , Sam Zelman, Biochemistry

Theses from 2019 2019

Analyzing the Biochemical and Functional Interactions of the RALF1-FERONIA-LLG1 (a peptide ligand-receptor kinase-GPI-anchored protein complex) Signaling Pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana , Samuel Jordan, Biochemistry

Predicting Successful Chaperoning of Fabry Disease Mutants via Computation , Priyank Patel, Biochemistry

Theses from 2018 2018

In Vitro S-Glutathionylation of S-Nitrosoglutathione Reductase from Arabidopsis Thaliana and Phenotype Determination of Sensitive to Formaldehyde 1 Knockout Strains of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae , Ian Truebridge, Biochemistry

FERONIA-RELATED RECEPTOR KINASE 7 AND FERONIA AND THEIR ROLE IN RECEIVING AND TRANSDUCING SIGNALS , David Vyshedsky, Biochemistry

Theses from 2015 2015

THE EVOLUTION OF THERMOTOLERANCE A CHARACTERIZATION OF A DIRECTIONALLY EVOLVED CYANOBACTERIUM , nathen Emil Bopp, Biochemistry

RNAi Mediated Silencing of Cell Wall Invertase Inhibitors to Increase Sucrose Allocation to Sink Tissues in Transgenic Camelina Sativa Engineered with a Carbon Concentrating Mechanism , Joshua Zuber, Biochemistry

Theses from 2014 2014

Investigation of the Effect of Dimerization on Human α-Galactosidase Activity , Scott R. Dooley, Biochemistry

Theses from 2012 2012

Proteolytic Regulation of CtrA, the Master Regulator of Cell Cycle in Caulobacter crescentus , Amber M. Cantin, Biochemistry

Theses from 2011 2011

Pharmacological Chaperoning in Fabry Disease , Jerome Rogich, Biochemistry

Novel Adaptor-Dependent Domains Promote Processive Degradation by ClpXP , Keith L. Rood, Biochemistry

Theses from 2010 2010

Probing the Activation Mechanism of Transcription-Coupled Repair Factor Mfd , Chih-heng Hsieh, Biochemistry

Theses from 2009 2009

Dopamine Controls Locomotion by Modulating the Activity of the Cholinergic Motor Neurons in C. elegans , Andrew T. Allen, Biochemistry

Theses from 2008 2008

Probing the Peptidyl Transferase Center of Ribosomes Containing Mutant 23s rRNA with Photoreactive tRNA , Nicole C. Caci, Biochemistry

Probing for Conformational Changes in the Repair Enzyme Mfd Using Mutant Protein Constructs , Mary E. Hunnewell, Biochemistry

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Public Health > Public Health Practice > Theses and Dissertations

Public Health Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Needs Assessment for a Web-Based Support Resource for Patients with a Pathogenic Variant in LMNA , Dylan M. Allen

Evaluation of a Story-telling Approach to Educate Minority Populations About Inherited Cancer , Celestyn B. Angot

Using the Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist to Characterize Prenatal Genetic Counseling , David A. Cline

Reframing Resistance, Resilience, and Racial Equity in Maternal Health: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Paternal Involvement and the Racial Disparity in Severe Maternal Morbidity , Marshara G. Fross

Student Perceptions of the Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants and Preferences for Health Education , Ana Gutierrez

Relationships between Leading and Trailing Indicators at Construction Sites in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia , Anas H. Halloul

Variability of Air Sampling Results Using Air-O-Cell Cassettes , Christina M. Haworth

Use of Silica Dust and Lunar Simulants for Assessing Lunar Regolith Exposure , Layzamarie Irizarry-Colon

The Aging Workforce: How it Relates to Incident Rates within a Distribution Warehouse and a Chemical Manufacturing Building , Elisabeth V. Jones

Fuzzy KC Clustering Imputation for Missing Not At Random Data , Markku A. Malmi Jr.

Piloting a Spanish-language Web-based Tool for Hereditary Cancer Genetic Testing , Gretter Manso

Development of a ddPCR Multiplex to Measure the Immune Response to Borrelia burgdorferi. , Kailey Marie McCain

A Healthcare Claims Investigation of Parasomnia Epidemiology, Associations with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Correlates , Anh Thy Ha Nguyen

Diet and Salivary Microbiome on Cardiovascular Risk and Glycemic Control in Participants with and without Type 1 Diabetes: The CACTI Study , Tiantian Pang

Evaluation of Two Methods to Estimate Wet Bulb Globe Temperature from Heat Index , Stephi Pofanl

Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication , Shanda A. Vereen

Assessment of ISO Heart Rate Method to Estimate Metabolic Rate , Karl Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Outcomes of a Periodic Exposure Assessment of Workers at a University Campus , Logan M. Armagast

Evaluating the Effect of Public Health Governance Structure and Public Opinion on COVID-19 Disease Control Interventions , Daniel Chacreton

Alpha Synuclein: A therapeutic target and biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease , Max Chase

A Study of Noise Exposures for Amusement Park Employees by Positions and Ride Categories , Danielle M. Dao

Bayesian Network-based Diagnostic Support Tool with Limited Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Work-related Elbow Injuries , Cristina Maria Franceschini Sánchez

Host-Pathogen Coevolution Between Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and Devil Facial Tumor Disease , Dylan Garret Gallinson

Measurements of Generalizability and Adjustment for Bias in Clinical Trials , Yuanyuan Lu

Examining the Relationship between Racial Respect among Black Early Childhood Professionals and their Perceptions of Black Children , Kayla Nembhard

Etiology of sterile intra-amniotic inflammation: An exploratory study , Zoe M. Taylor

Evaluating and Improving a Novel Toolkit for Implementation and Optimization of Lynch Syndrome Universal Tumor Screening , Tara M. Wolfinger

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Exploring Adult Attachment in Intimate Relationships among Women who Were Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood: A Convergent Mixed Methods Approach , Ngozichukwuka C. Agu

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Disinfectant-Impregnated Wipes Versus Detergent Wipes for Surface Decontamination , Jacob Amadin

Limited Point of Care Ultrasound Clinical Decision Support Model for Work-related Injuries of the Shoulder Utilizing Bayesian Network , Gwen Marie Ayers

Synthesis of a Multimodal Ecological Model for Scalable, High-Resolution Arboviral Risk Prediction in Florida , Sean P. Beeman

Feasibility of a Virtual Group Nutrition Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Acadia W. Buro

Defining Codes Based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in the Context of the Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening , Jasmine A. Burton-Akright

Americans’ Familiarity, Interest, and Actions with Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing , Riley L. Carroll

Does Better A1C Control Worsen Osteoarthritis? An Electronic Health Record Cross-Sectional Study , Sarah C. Cattaneo

Analysis of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Gene Expression Profiles in a Prospective, Community-based Cohort , Jan Dahrendorff

Differential Privacy for Regression Modeling in Health: An Evaluation of Algorithms , Joseph Ficek

Does Time-Weighted Averaging for WBGT and Metabolic Rate Work for Work-Recovery Cycles? , John W. Flach

Screening of Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder: Identifying Factors Impacting Implementation of Screening Recommendations Using the Theoretical Domains Framework , Tara R. Foti

Epigenetic Potential in an Introduced Passerine , Haley E. Hanson

Face Mask Use to Protect Against COVID-19; Importance of Substrate, Fit, and User Tendencies , Evelyn Kassel

Novel Educational Material for Patients with a Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS) in a Cancer Risk Gene , Meghan E. Kelley

Mechanisms and Mitigation: Effects of Light Pollution on West Nile Virus Dynamics , Meredith E. Kernbach

Seasonality in Competence to Transmit West Nile Virus for a Widespread Reservoir , Kyle L. Koller

Mealtimes in Early Childhood Education Centers During COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Responsibilities, Interactions, and Best Practices , Joanna Mackie

Development and Validation of an Isothermal Amplification Assay for Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus , Mikayla D. Maddison

Evaluating the Development and Implementation of Campus-based Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention Programming , Robyn Manning-Samuels

Bait-and-Kill: Targeting a Novel Heme Biochemical Pathway in Hundreds of Cancers , Christopher G. Marinescu

Acclimatization Protocols and Their Outcomes , Ayub M. Odera

Promoting HPV vaccination with vaccine-hesitant parents using social media: a formative research mixed-method study , Silvia Sommariva

Sleep Diagnoses and Low Back Pain in U.S. Military Veterans , Kenneth A. Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Journey Mapping the Minority Student’s Path Toward Genetic Counseling: A Holistic Picture , Tatiana E. Alvarado-Wing

Using Observations from the UAW-Ford Ergonomic Assessment Tool to Predict Distal Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders , Zachariah T. Brandes-Powell

Do Similar Exposure Groups (SEG) differ from Air Force base to Air Force base? A Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) noise exposure comparison of Moody AFB and MacDill AFB. , Miriam F. Escobar

Predictors of Premature Discontinuation from Behavioral Health Services: A Mixed Methods Study Guided by the Andersen & Newman Model of Health Care Utilization , Shawna M. Green

Non-invasive Sex Determination and Genotyping of Transgenic Brugia malayi Larvae , Santiago E. Hernandez Bojorge

Does Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Increases the Risk of Preeclampsia Among Primigravid Women? , Astha Kakkad

Evaluating Effects of Cancer Genetic Counseling on Several Brief Patient Impact Measures , Alyson Kneusel

Impact of Heat-Related Illness and Natural Environments on Behavioral Health Related Emergency and Hospital Utilization in Florida , Natasha Kurji

The Quantification of Heavy Metals in Infant Formulas Offered by the Florida WIC Program , Naya Martin

Differences in Knowledge Acquisition, Perceived Engagement and Self-Efficacy in Latino Promotores Delivering the Heart Disease Prevention Program Su Corazόn, Su Vida , Samuel Matos-Bastidas

Spatial and Temporal Determinants Associated with Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Activity in Florida , Kristi M. Miley

Using Observations from the UAW-Ford Ergonomic Assessment Tool to Predict Low Back Musculoskeletal Disorders , Colins Nwafor

On the Importance of Context: Examining the Applicability of Infertility Insurance Mandates in the United States Using a Mixed-Methods Study Design , Nathanael B. Stanley

Exploration of Factors Associated with Perceptions of Community Safety among Youth in Hillsborough County, Florida: A Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Approach , Yingwei Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Ability of the U.S. Military’s WBGT-based Flag System to Recommend Safe Heat Stress Exposures , David R. Almario

The Relationship between Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Derived Metrics and Indices of Glycemic Control , Ryan Bailey

“Man plans but ultimately, God decides”: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Contextual Family Planning Beliefs of Recently Resettled Congolese Refugee Women in West Central Florida. , Linda Bomboka Wilson

‘If He Hits Me, Is That Love? I Don’t Think So’: An Ethnographic Investigation of the Multi-Level Influences Shaping Indigenous Women’s Decision-Making Around Intimate Partner Violence in the Rural Peruvian Andes , Isabella Li Chan

An Assessment of the Role of Florida Pharmacists in the Administration of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine to Pregnant Women , Oluyemisi O. Falope

Epidemiological Analysis of Malaria Decrease in El Salvador from 1955 until 2017 , Tatiana I. Gardellini Guevara

Self-Collected Sampling Methods for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screening Among College Women: Exploring Patient-Centered Intervention Characteristics , Stacey B. Griner

The Relationship Between Hand and Wrist Musculoskeletal Disorders and Hand Activity and Posture , Warren M. Henry

Speeding Diagnosis and Saving Money Using Point of Care Ultrasound Rather Than MRI for Work-related MSK Injuries , Jared A. Jeffries

Mitigating Barriers to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Prevention and Management in Disadvantaged Communities , Krys M. Johnson

Comparing Family Sharing Behaviors in BRCA Carriers with PALB2 Carriers , Joy E. Kechik

Investigating Air Pollution and Equity Impacts of a Proposed Transportation Improvement Program for Tampa , Talha Kemal Kocak

Exploring Young Women’s Choice to Initiate Use of Long-acting Reversible Contraception: A Mixed Methods Approach , Helen Mahony

Evaluation of Clinical Practices and Needs about Variants of Uncertain Significance Results in Inherited Cardiac Arrhythmia and Inherited Cardiomyopathy Genes , Reka D. Muller

Effects of Medications with Anticholinergic Properties and Opioids on Cognitive Function and Neural Volumetric Changes in Elderly Australians , Malinee Neelamegam

Sundaas Story: A Mixed-Methods Study of Household Sanitation Provisioning in Urban Informal Housing in India , Sarita Vijay Panchang

A Retrospective Study of the Opioid Epidemic and Fentanyl Related Overdose Fatality Cases in a Florida West Coast Medical Examiner District Population , Anne Terese Powell

Using Predicted Heat Strain to Evaluate Sustainable Exposures , Samantha L. Thacker

Isokinetic Sampling Efficiency Differences for Blunt Edge vs Sharp Edge Sampling Probes , Cory A. Treloar

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Investigate Daily Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (emtricitabine/tenofovir DF) Implementation via Community-based HIV Testing Sites in Florida , Deanne E. Turner

“We can learn some things from them, but they can learn some things from us too”: Intergenerational Perceptions of Shared Infant Feeding Information , Alexis L. Woods Barr

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Comparison of Modeled and Measured Pesticide Concentrations in Air , Trenell Davis Boggans

Effectiveness of Biocide Substitution and Management Plan Implementation for the Control of , Adelmarie Bones

Design, Construction, and Characterization of the University of South Florida Wind Tunnel , Jason S. Garcia

Characterization of Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers For Use With Nanoaerosols , Michael R. Henderson

Validation of the Thermal Work Limit (TWL) Against Known Heat Stress Exposures , Danielle L. Kapanowski

Validation of a New Concept for Measuring Respirable Dusts , Xiao Liu

Occupational Noise Exposure Evaluation of Airline Ramp Workers , Adekunle Ogunyemi

Reduction in Needlestick Injuries Using a Novel Package of Interventions , Kamal Thakor Patel

Ability of the ISO Predicted Heat Strain Method to Predict a Limiting Heat Stress Exposure , Edgar Prieto

Developing the Evidence Base for Mental Health Policy and Services: Inquiries into Epidemiology, Cost-Benefits, and Utilization , Joseph L. Smith

Occupational Sharps Injuries in Medical Trainees at the University of South Florida: A Follow-up Study , Kourtni L. Starkey

Particles in Welding Fumes , Rebecca T. Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

The Effects of Maternal Folate on Fetal Brain and Body Size among Smoking Mothers , Korede K. Adegoke

The Influence of Tropical Forests and Climate Change on the Fates of Select Organic Pollutants in a Jamaican Watershed , Kayon Barrett

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• Open access
• Published: 20 January 2024

From master’s thesis to research publication: a mixed-methods study of medical student publishing and experiences with the publishing process

• Maria Björklund   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8027-1297 1 ,
• Ramin Massoumi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8875-6440 2 &
• Bodil Ohlsson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9142-5244 3 , 4  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  75 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Medical student master’s theses are often carried out as research projects, and some are published as research papers in journals. We investigated the percentage of master’s theses conducted by 5th -year students at the Medical Degree Program at Lund University, Sweden, that subsequently served as the basis for research publications. In addition, we explored both student and supervisor experiences with the publishing process.

A cohort of four semesters of student data covering the period from 2019 to 2020 ( n  = 446) was searched in PubMed, Embase and the Web of Science to assess whether they had been published as research papers. Surveys were sent to students ( n  = 121) and supervisors ( n  = 77) to explore their experiences with the publishing process.

We found that 33% (149 of 446) of the students in the 2019–2020 cohort subsequently published their theses, and 50% of these students were listed as first authors. Most students published original research. Students ( n  = 21) and supervisors ( n  = 44) reported that the publishing process was time-consuming and that students needed multilevel support from supervisors to achieve successful publication. The publishing process was reported by 79% of the students to have led to additional learning. Most of the papers (126 of 149, 85%) had a clinical or patient-oriented focus.

A high percentage of the student publications in which students are listed as first authors require engagement from both students and supervisors. Supervisors play an essential role in supporting students in a successful publication process. Most of the published papers were either clinical or patient-oriented research.

Peer Review reports

In medical education, reading research papers, knowing research methods, and performing critical appraisals of research are important for following medical developments and understanding the rationale behind treatment strategies [ 1 , 2 ]. The approach to student involvement and its application in research-related learning activities seems to vary in form, content and level across medical degree programs. The development of research skills is encouraged for the benefits it brings to the medical profession; e.g., such research is encouraged by the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) [ 3 ]. The involvement of faculty as coauthors with students is one means of engaging students in authentic research projects and can be conceptualized as research-based learning. Given that this term has no uniform definition, it can include many activities at different levels, ranging from understanding research content and methods to applying these techniques in the production of research projects or publications [ 4 , 5 ]. Research skills or research activities are other commonly mentioned concepts. These concepts encompass the reviewing of research, methodological competencies, reflection, and communication skills along with content knowledge [ 4 , 6 ]. Research publishing in itself is aimed at reporting and communicating new research findings and the way that an original study was conducted [ 7 ]. In medical education, students are trained in reading, understanding, assessing and synthesizing original research papers. For students, writing and publishing a research paper adds an extra dimension to research engagement, implying an active role as an author in engaging in the process all the way to publication. In this scenario, the students not only act as readers or critics but also learn to conduct research projects. The roles and responsibilities of the authors are defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which states that authorship implies responsibility and accountability for published work. Authors make substantial contributions to the research, draft and approve the final version to be published, and agree to accountability for all aspects of the work [ 8 ]. Subsequently, student-active work is needed to fulfill the author criteria for students, which is addressed through collaboration with their supervisor and research team. Transforming a master’s thesis into a research paper can be an extracurricular activity in which students practice the writing workflow, prepare a manuscript to meet a journal’s format requirements, collect feedback from their coauthors for revision of the text, and finally submit the manuscript, all under supervision. This also includes revising the manuscript after comments from reviewers and editors have been collected, as well as preparing a response to reviewers [ 7 ].

The main objective of this study is the investigation of the number of 5th -year medical students in the Medical Degree (MD) program at Lund University that succeeded in publishing their master’s theses as research publications. In addition, we explore the experiences of both students and supervisors regarding the publication process and student learning experiences.

The Faculty of Medicine at Lund University has 2900 full-time students and more than 1000 PhD students [ 9 ]. The MD Program in Sweden recently changed from a 5.5 to a 6-year program, and at Lund University, new students are enrolled every semester. Together with medical and clinical knowledge and skills, a curriculum designed to facilitate progressive student learning of research methods and applications, including assessments, is integrated throughout the MD program [ 10 ].

Master’s thesis course, content and structure, learning objectives and assessment

The learning objectives of the master’s thesis course taken in the 5th year of the program are focused on students’ ability to evaluate research papers and understand ethical, juridical, and methodological aspects of the research. Students should be able to create a project plan, run a project under supervision, independently find relevant research and synthesize it into their project background. To help students fulfill these learning objectives, lectures and workshops on research methodology, information retrieval and academic writing are offered.

Prior to their 5th year, the students need to find a supervisor who is available for consultation throughout the course. Supervisors need to hold a PhD in any field applicable to the science and practice of medicine. The thesis is evaluated by an expert assessor with extensive experience in thesis assessment, who then provides feedback to the student’s written thesis and its oral presentation. The evaluation of the written thesis is similar to the research review process of a scientific peer-reviewed journal.

Data collection

Tracking of published student theses.

The records of 446 students who completed their master’s theses over the course of four semesters during the 2019–2020 timeframe were reviewed to determine whether their thesis projects had been published as a research paper. If so, the journal and its impact factor, together with the type of publication (original paper/systematic review or other), were documented. To track publications, the databases PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Embase (Elsevier) and Web of Science (Clarivate) were used. The journal impact factor (of 2021) was retrieved from Journal Citation Reports (InCites). The databases were chosen because they were considered to cover the most relevant journals likely to publish these students’ work. The family names of students and supervisors were searched in combination since we considered it less likely that students would publish their work as single authors. Spelling variations were tested for names with special characters or double family names. Ambiguities, either where a student was likely to have made a change in project focus or title or unambiguously connecting authors with a publication or several possible publications was difficult, were followed up on by cross-checking theses records.

Surveys to students and supervisors

Surveys were sent to students in the fall 2022 cohort ( n  = 102) and to students in the 2019–2020 cohort, when publications were identified and students provided contact addresses ( n  = 19). The surveys were also sent to supervisors in the fall 2022 cohort ( n  = 77). The survey distributions for the student cohorts and supervisors are described in Table  1 .

The survey was designed to collect respondent experiences of the publishing process in regard to student learning, student use of previously acquired research skills, student knowledge of research methods and the level of independence exhibited in student work. The survey questions were answered anonymously and are available in Appendix 1 . For practical reasons, the surveys were not sent to the same cohorts as the publication tracking cohorts. Medical students in Sweden graduated after 5.5 years and were difficult to reach for follow-up questions. Nevertheless, we managed to trace certain students who had published their work and provided their personal email addresses for contact purposes. Supervisors are often engaged for many years, as some of them may have served as supervisors in the publication tracking cohort, thus making them easier to contact for follow-up questions.

Statistical analysis

The statistical analysis of the survey results was performed in SPSS (version 29, 2022). Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical data, and the Mann‒Whitney U test was used for ordinal data. A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

Ethical considerations and approval

Ethical approval.

by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority was waived since the surveys sent to respondents were answered anonymously and the answers could not be traced back to the responders. No sensitive personal data were available for identifying the responders. The responders were informed of the way that how the survey results would be processed and that by answering the survey they were will give informed consent to participate. [Swedish Ethical Review Authority on the Ethical Review act: https://etikprovningsmyndigheten.se/en/what-the-act-says/ ]

Number and type of student publications

The results of our student publication tracking are summarized in Table  2 . In total, we tracked 446 student theses, 149 (33%) of which were published as a research paper. The students were the first authors of 50% of the publications, and the most common publication type was original research papers. We also found a few systematic reviews, one narrative review, conference abstracts, a poster and a preprint. The time span of the publication process and the range of impact factors of the journals are illustrated in Table  2 . Several students collaborated and published their work in conjunction with fellow students as part of a research group. We counted the individual student contributions to publication; if two students in the same cohort had a joint publication, we counted both students as publishers.

Most of the 149 published papers (85%) had a clinical or patient-oriented focus, for instance, diagnostics, screening, clinical management, therapy, follow-up and prognostics, complications, lifestyle, risk factors/risk management in health care, or mental health. Some of the study designs applied included randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, observational studies, multicenter studies, and registry studies.

Survey results of student and supervisor experiences with publishing

Forty-four (57%) supervisors and 21 (17%) students responded to the survey, but not all respondents answered all questions. Of the total number of student respondents, 9 (43%) had published their theses as research publications, while 12 (57%) were in the process of publishing. All the responding supervisors reported that they had worked with students who had or were about to publish. In general, supervisors provided us with extended comments in their responses, which contributed to capturing more in-depth perspectives in regard to their experiences.

Learning from the publishing process

Sixteen (84%) of the 19 students responding on the question indicated that they applied their previous learning of research methodology to their publishing endeavors, whereas 3 (16%) reported that they did not utilize their previous learning in this regard. Two students expressed that their previous curricular activities in research methodology served as a suitable foundation for their thesis. 27 (64%) of the 42 supervisors responding on the question reported that students applied skills and knowledge from previous learning activities and that many took a scientific approach to the work. There were also individual variations in the levels of student preparedness. However, as 15 (36%) of the supervisors noted, the publishing process is new to students, and they often need considerable guidance. Moreover, publishing does not occur without any previous knowledge or experience with research methodology. Most of the students (79%) reported that the publishing process led to additional learning, in contrast to 21% who reported that they did not incur any extra learning. The time and effort required for publishing, including generating more advanced statistics, adapting the thesis to a journal paper format, and responding to peer review and communication skills, were mentioned as specific new learning experiences.

A majority of the supervisors (95%) reported that students who published also gained additional experience from the research methodology in the sense of deepening their knowledge of the medical topic. The difference between the peer-review process and the examination process for theses was reported as another aspect of learning. The supervisors acknowledged the positive learning effects for students who authored published research papers in various aspects of managing the project, preparing for submission, and adhering to deadlines. In contrast, a few supervisors noted that not all students were able to perform these tasks independently and that some required substantial assistance. Supervisors also expressed that some students lacked patience; e.g., some students expressed impatience in working with adaptations of the thesis and responding to reviewer comments.

Support needs in the publishing process

All the students emphasized the significant need for assistance throughout the publishing process, but they provided few detailed comments in their responses. Supervisors expressed a similar need to support the students; see the comparison in Fig.  1 .

Student support needs in the publishing process: Comparison of student (n = 19) and supervisor (n = 42) experiences. Fisher’s exact test was used. A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance

Supervisors reported that they helped students connect with the other coauthors, which was beneficial for student learning. In the publishing process, students are required to adapt their theses to specific journal requirements and write more concise and clear texts, which, according to some supervisors, took more time than students thought it would. Proofreading and obtaining help in formatting figures and tables were also mentioned as very important factors. Some supervisors reported that additional material or statistical analysis as well as methodological considerations were sometimes needed to succeed in publishing.

The supervisors also commented that the quality levels of theses guided their decision to pursue publication and engage with students as coauthors. Some students also required help with communicating their publication at conferences or meetings, according to supervisors.

Level of student independence in the publishing process

Students generally reported having some or a low level of independence in the publishing process. A few reported higher levels of independence, either in writing the manuscript and/or in data analysis.

Supervisors reported slightly higher levels of independence on the part of students and commented that the level of independence varied across students. A comparison of perceived independence is presented in Fig.  2 .

Level of student independence in the publishing process: Comparison of student and supervisor experiences Students ( n  = 19) and supervisors ( n  = 42) rated the perceived levels of student independence on a five-point scale. Mann‒Whitney U test was used. A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance

In this study, we investigated a cohort of medical degree students over four semesters ranging from 2019 to 2020 to assess whether their master’s theses had been published as research papers. We found that 33% of the articles had been published. Different methods have been applied in previous research on student submissions, publishing rates and student authorship; Skovgard et al. [ 11 ] and Griffin et al. [ 12 ] followed up on student cohorts, while Kan et al. [ 13 ] and Svider et al. [ 14 ] investigated specific journals for student publications. The extent to which and how research activities are integrated into the curriculum may also vary across educational and geographical contexts. Most of the studies were from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia, as reported by Carberry et al. [ 15 ]. This makes comparisons difficult because of the differences in educational contexts and methods of publication tracking among these contexts. The share of student authorship varies: Skovgard et al. [ 11 ] studied a cohort of Danish students where 52% managed to publish at least one paper, and Griffin et al. [ 12 ] reported a UK student cohort where 14% (72 of 515) of the authors submitted research articles for publication. Kan et al. [ 13 ] and Svider et al. [ 14 ] tracked student publications in journals and revealed student authorship percentages of 12–19% and 19–37%, respectively. Amgad et al. [ 16 ] estimated student publishing rates to be 25–30% in their meta-analysis. Our results of 33%, show a higher rate of student publication than previous studies showed. In this group, 50% of the students were first authors, which is a high proportion in comparison to the findings of previous studies, including those of Amgad et al. [ 16 ], where 13% of the students were first authors, while Kan et al. [ 13 ] and Skovgard et al. [ 11 ] reported 17–25% and 43%, respectively.

The experiences reported by students and researchers showed that the publishing process can be beneficial for student learning. There were differences between student and supervisor experiences regarding student levels of independence, where some students reported their estimated level of independence to be lower than that reported by their supervisor. The reports of the students regarding support needs were similar to those of their supervisors. Supervisors emphasized that students required substantial assistance to a greater extent than the students themselves did, and such assistance seemed to be vital to a successful publication process. This result is also in line with the findings of previous studies in which students described having an engaged supervisor or mentor as the most helpful factor, followed by the support of the research team, course leaders and peers [ 12 , 17 , 18 ]. This heavy reliance of the student on the supervisor was also reported by Althubaiti et al. [ 19 ]. Our results reveal that students valued training in efficiently working with a team, which was also reported as a positive outcome in previous research [ 14 , 20 ]. Maher et al. [ 21 ] described a faculty culture in which the publishing process is regarded as a socialization process leading to academic authorship, team collaboration and competent writing as an important factor affecting student-faculty publishing.

Our results reveal that most of the publications of our student sample seems to be clinically or patient-oriented. In previous research, the focus (such as basic or clinical science) and form (reviews or original papers) of student publications seemed to vary depending on the educational context. Stockfelt et al. [ 6 ] reported that 45% of students perform basic science or laboratory projects, approximately one-third of the students engage in clinical research, and the remaining students pursue a combination of research activities. Wickramasinghe et al. [ 22 ] reported that reviews, followed by original studies, are the most common form of student publication. Amgad et al. [ 16 ] reported that most students publish original research papers, and whether these are in basic or clinical science varies, but the majority of them are on the clinical side, which is well aligned with our results.

Even though many of our students go on to publish, we do not believe that requiring such publication as part of the program would be feasible or result in positive outcomes. Voluntary publishing has also been discussed in previous studies, which have emphasized its importance for student motivation and for developing a sound future research culture [ 15 , 18 , 23 ]. Helping students become motivated to engage in research by progressively working with research competencies that have been integrated into a curriculum that culminates in a master’s thesis is likely a better strategy [ 10 ]. This longitudinal approach can have positive effects on student publishing, as suggested by Mullan et al. [ 24 ], even if such a curriculum has yet to be evaluated.

Limitations

In our data collection, we aimed for a rigorous approach in determining whether a student thesis had been published as a research paper. However, it is possible that some of the student theses were published in journals that were not indexed by the databases chosen for publication tracking. Another limitation is that students in the fall 2020 cohort may still be in the process of publishing and hence may not be captured in our data. With these limitations in mind, we believe our investigation has resulted in a general and fairly accurate overview of the number of theses that are published as research papers.

We sent the survey to a partly different cohort than the one used for publication tracking. As the survey responses were anonymous, it was not possible to distinguish the different cohorts within the survey results. It is possible that students who have already published have had different learning experiences than students who are still in the publishing process. However, the experiences expressed by students, the impact on learning, and the role of supervisors were found to be more closely associated with the publishing process itself than contingent on the specific cohort to which a student or supervisor belonged. The surveys allowed for detailed comments in the responses, and the supervisors used that option more than students. Due to the low response rate of students, the low rate of student comments, and the lack of representativeness of the results, further investigations into student learning experiences during the publishing process are needed.

In this study, we investigated the percentage of medical students in the 2019–2020 cohort who subsequently published their master’s theses as research publications. We found a 33% publication rate, and students were listed as the first author in 50% of the publications. The publishing process demands a significant amount of time, and students need to be aware of the additional time required in addition to their master’s thesis work.

Engaged supervisors were found to be essential for a successful publication process, as they provided students with the necessary support in preparing their manuscripts. Student publishing can constitute an additional learning activity in student research projects, provided that such publishing is voluntary and builds on students’ intrinsic motivation to perform research.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

The Association for Medical Education in Europe

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors

Medical Degree

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Acknowledgements

We would like to give special thanks to Kerstin Troein for administrative support with data collection. We also wish to give warm thanks to Håkan Andersson for statistical advice and support and to Martin Garwicz for reviewing and offering valuable feedback regarding the manuscript.

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MB and BO initiated and designed the study. MB and BO collected the data. MB, BO and RM analyzed and interpreted the results. MB designed the tables and figures. MB wrote the original draft of the manuscript. MB, BO and RM contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Björklund, M., Massoumi, R. & Ohlsson, B. From master’s thesis to research publication: a mixed-methods study of medical student publishing and experiences with the publishing process. BMC Med Educ 24 , 75 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05060-7

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05060-7

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More leptospirosis cases occur after floods, study shows

by K. W. Wesselink, University of Twente

A recent study, published by researchers at the Faculty of ITC in the International Journal of Health Geographics , has shown that flooding leads to increased leptospirosis cases.

First author, John Ifejube is a recent graduate of the master's program in Spatial Engineering. This publication is a direct result of his thesis on GeoHealth.

Flooding is a climate-related disaster that impacts not only the environment but also the well-being of people. Leptospirosis is a blood infection caused by the bacteria Leptospira. People become infected through interaction with contaminated water or urine.

Infected humans can get headaches, muscle pains, and fevers, but severe forms can lead to kidney failure. More and more studies link the spread of leptospirosis with floods, but it has not been extensively studied, until now.

Master's thesis

For his master's thesis, Ifejube conducted a study on the association between the incidence of leptospirosis and the occurrence of multiple floods in Kerala, India. He found that flooding leads to an increase in leptospirosis cases. His study reveals that flood duration is the most important characteristic of floods that can be used to predict the number of infections. According to his research, severe floods lead to more leptospirosis cases than moderate floods.

He compared leptospirosis cases across three different years in time and space. Specifically, he compared the number of cases in 2018 and 2019, which were years with heavy and moderate flooding respectively, to the number of cases in 2017, a year that did not experience any floods.

For each flood year, he looked at the reported cases three months before, during and three months after the flood. To assess the severity of floods, he determined the population exposed to each flood event using high-resolution satellite images. Finally, he used spatial regression to examine the relationship between post-flood cases and flood extents.

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Sophie Lindenkamp uses sports as medicine

• Sports and Health

Published 15 May 2024

Sophie Lindenkamp is a fourth-year student of the bachelor's programme Sport Studies. For her final thesis, she developed a product that uses sport as medicine for people who are psychotically vulnerable. With her intervention, Sophie won the Gelderland Sports Climate Incentive Award in March.

Sophie is doing an internship at Pro Persona, an organization that provides specialist mental health care. She conducts her research within the ACT Team (Assertive Commitment Treatment) of Pro Persona Nijmegen. "We support people with early psychosis," explains Sophie. "Largely young adults who are psychotically vulnerable. Our team consists of 80 clients, ten of whom I am involved in and coach in sports."

Sports as antidepressant

Going for a run three times a week or a bit of brisk pedalling on your bike does wonders for your brain and has the same effect on our brains as antidepressants. But it doesn't have the drawbacks. How can lifestyle play a greater role in care and in the treatment plan? Pro Persona asked sports expert Sophie how they could implement vitality, health and behaviour modification in healthcare. Sophie: "Using sport as a tool for mental, physical and emotional health, which is the holistic approach to positive health. Mental well-being is much more than what happens in your head. Looking at the whole person and not just the musculoskeletal system or the brain. We have clients who so frozen by fear are and living in their heads so much, who are so far away from their feelings, that they find it mighty beautiful to feel their heartbeat, notice their breath and land in their body. As a sports scientist, you can do a lot for the client's self-recognition process. The combination of exercise and therapy is also very strong. We will see if we can schedule the sports sessions just before or just after the therapy. It has been scientifically proven that your brain is better at absorbing and processing information when you've been active."

Personal trainer

For her final thesis, Sophie has developed a practical intervention, 'a professional product', to solve the complex problem of how to motivate young adults with psychotic vulnerability to exercise. "The intervention ensures that sports and exercise will have a larger share in the treatment plan and that clients can receive support from a personal sports coach. A personal trainer who also has soft skills, who is familiar with motivational interviewing techniques, someone who has an insight into diagnosis and psychiatry. It is a big step to let clients work on their own health. For our target group, social anxiety is a major limiting factor in taking action at all."

Student HAN

Sophie has sought collaboration with three programmes of the University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen (HAN University of Applied Sciences): Applied Psychology, Sports Science and Psychomotor Therapy. "We are going to use students as sports coaches who will guide the clients one-on-one. We want to apply this multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in the sports sessions. Interviews with students will start tomorrow."

The project is supported by multiple stakeholders with knowledge, accommodations and sports facilities. Sophie cites an example. "Our hard-core supporter is Tito's Gym, the gym fifty metres from our location. A very intimate, small-scale and low-stimulus environment. We rent the space for twenty hours a month, when the gym is closed. It's a simple project, but at its core it's a perfect symbiosis between everyone involved. We are also supported by Life Goals, an organisation that offers group sports to people with a psychological vulnerability. The goal is for our clients to be guided to sports in groups and to regular sports."

Gelderland Sports Climate Sports Incentive Award

In March, the fourth-year Sports Studies student won the Stimuleringsprijs van het Gelders Sportklimaat  ( Gelderland Sports Climate Incentive Award ). She won the audience prize of 5,000 euros. The jury was also impressed by her intervention and rewarded her with 10,000 euros. With the prize, Sophie can pay for her project for six months. She can rent the gym and offer the students a zero-hours contract. "With part of the prize, I can hire myself as a sports coach slash project leader. There is also room within the budget for fun activities, such as trying out paid spinning or yoga classes."

Master's Degree in Psychomotor Therapy

"This is what happens when you empower students and create a safe environment. It's fantastic that Pro Persona has given me the responsibility and space to do this project. It feels like my baby, to which I can give a solid foundation in the coming months. In September, I'm going to start a minor in Psychomotor Therapy and then do the master's in PMT, because I've discovered that I can really make a difference for people who are vulnerable and having a hard time with the combination of Sports Science and the therapeutic side of exercise," Sophie concludes.

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