Strengthening Research Engagements in Dentistry

I was once advised by someone way senior in my field to find ways to put out a minimum of 20 publications per year. 20! After wracking my brain and conferring with some of my peers, we arrived at the conclusion that the only way this would be possible for us (as students/early career researchers) is to involve ourselves in one or more of the following: 1.       Tag-along – Beg other authors to let you tag along as one among the many being listed as authors in their hard work. (I guess at the temple of academic institutions, we are all akin to beggars in some shape or form.) 2.       Gift authorships – Similar to tag-along, where you contribute next to nothing to a publication's intellectual and practical workload, gift authorship is where you are invited to become an author. (But who would gift us something so special? What would that gift be in exchange for?) 3.       Paid authorships – Pay to have your name i...

For those of you struggling to write a manuscript for scientific publications, let’s be clear about the structure of manuscript writing. Most journals require that we follow what is called the IMRaD format. Here’s what it means: I – Introduction M – Methodology (or Materials & Methods) R – Results           and D – Discussion   Beyond this, however, there is an accepted norm in the way manuscripts are written for scientific publication, especially within the STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) and its related disciplines.   Scientific publications are expected to push the boundaries of the known and extend our knowledge into the unknown. With this in mind, any good piece of scientific writing is expected to cover the PAST and PRESENT while establishing sneak glimpses of how the expected FUTURE may look like within reason.   Tying this to the 6W’s (WHAT, WHY, ...

1. WHY? (The purpose) Why are you conducting this research? Why focus on this particular problem, when there, maybe, are a million others out there? 2. WHAT? (The problem) What exactly is the problem or issue here? What do you hope to gain from addressing this particular problem? 3. WHERE? (The environment) Where do you see this research leading to in light of everything that's around you? Your location and context do matter. What works in the US/UK need not work just as well in India/Malaysia. Where in the broad spectrum of things happening within your field do you see your research helping things get better? 4. WHEN? (The timeframe) When do you propose to do this research and when do you expect it to bear fruit or give you actionable results? When would be an ideal time to get into this research and why? Why propose to address this issue now, when there are many other issues that also need to be addressed? 5. WHO? (The proponents and targets) 5. A. Who should be involved in this ...

Before you begin... By general estimates, it is no secret that more than 50% - 90% of all scientific research projects fail to reach their primary goal or do not yield publishable results. While these percentages may vary from field to field, the fact is that failure rates are still high, making scientific research unpredictable and untenable for many looking to get into their respective fields. It is also true, however, that there are many ways to battle the odds and turn things in your favour. While not everything is in your hands, there is no denying that there are some simple steps you can take to ensure you go in fully prepared and with your eyes wide open. Before beginning any research project, it is crucial that you take the time to address the 6 Ws: Why, What, Where, When, Who and How. (Hey! There is a W in How as well. Don't come for my head just because it's not at the beginning. 😋) (End of part 1) Details to follow in the next post...

In scientific article/manuscript writing, the introduction plays a crucial role. It is strategically placed to do more than just introduce your manuscript. It is expected to fulfil the following: 1.     To allow the reader to understand your thought process. 2.     To assert the need to know more about your selected theme/subject. 3.     To provide a brief overview of the current level of evidence available in literature regarding your subject/theme. 4.     To provide justifications for your selection of subtopics or themes. 5.     To lead the reader to understand your choice of research theme and subthemes. 6.     The novelty, if any, in your choice of research theme, subthemes or approach towards their assessment/analysis. 7.     To convince your readers of all the above mentioned.   Example: You observe that A, B, C and D are somehow interlinked and propos...

Writing can be a joyful experience when done right. It helps to get rid of the toxic buildup of facts, figures and observations that clog the flow of thought in our minds, freeing up space for new thoughts and insights into subjects that matter most to us. With little to no formal training, any form of writing can easily become the least favored chore for many people. The trick is to find a good system that works for you. Here are some of my tips to get you started: 1. Free-Writing. Get into the habit of free writing. Good or bad, just start writing whatever comes to mind. Create a space on your laptop or notebook to write 100-200 words about something, every day. Make that time! 2. Review free-writing notes . Every once in a while, when you get more than 15minutes of free time, look back at your free-writing notes and review them with fresh eyes. 3. Identify themes . In each note, try to identify a central theme or themes that pop out or call to you. Whatever grabs your interest....

We often read through articles in journals that state how many participants/subjects were studied or observed during the course of their respective research period. While this is an acceptable practice, it can be quite catastrophic to ignore the fact that these studies actually deal with people and not unfeeling, sterilised numbers. The purpose of reducing each person/individual participant in the research to abstract numbers by way of analysing their responses/behaviours is to remove all distractors and remain hyper focussed on the task of the research objective set in the study/project. This translates to Quantitative studies enjoying a more robust place in the research hierarchy. But let me ask you this: How good of a research tactic is it to reduce your entire being...your past, present, future expectations, mannerisms, flaws, merits...everything that makes you unique into a single abstract number? Does doing so with a hundred such people actually make for better research? It is im...

It has long been held in industry and society at large that breaks in your education and career are huge negatives that must be avoided at all costs. While it is true that long breaks spanning years to decades can definitely have that impact on your hiring potential, well-timed, short breaks can have the opposite effect on your mental health and general well-being. It is important to acknowledge that none of us work in completely sterile, mechanical environments free of the risks and perils brought on by human error and each one of us have different capacities for different tasks that add up to our nature and capability to function in our respective work environments. Identifying the need for short breaks, enforcing boundaries and actually timing them in a manner that helps your team members, and your organization succeed is a skill that remains yet to be recognized. In a society plagued by ever-increasing demands on interpersonal relationships and industrial exploitation of its workin...

When working with a team of specialists, it is important to remember that different people have different opinions that stem from the fact that we belong to different environments and have different experiences to draw knowledge/wisdom from. Managing each team member as an individual entity and considering them integral units of a collective organization is easier said than done. While we would all have an easier time if we were all like-minded, ongoing discussions and friendly debates on these very differences lay the foundation for continued growth. However, the key take-aways are "ongoing" and "friendly". In every organization, discord amongst employees is unavoidable; but how these discords are managed is vital to how the organization functions in the long run. It forms the basis of a company's work culture. Avoid culture shocks by finding work in organizations/companies that match your cultural expectations in the workplace.

There really is no shortage of work anywhere. Even when we scurry around trying to find the right job to fit into, the reality is that what we're trying to attain is not just "A JOB", but "THE JOB". Take away all pretenses of our preferences and their requirements, and there really is no shortage of work anywhere. Even our chores qualify as "work" that needs to get done, don't they? Reading an article or a piece of paper is "work" too. They qualify as work because they take time to accomplish; time that will never return to us. So really, preferences and requirements are never actually about work, they're about our time, and an appropriate compensation in lieu of something so valuable and non-renewable. CHOOSE WISELY.

All of us aim to succeed in the tasks we set out to perform, but it is important to note that different people define success differently. For some it is simply being able to complete an activity/task, while others measure it in terms of time, energy and/or resources spent in an effort to complete said activity/task.   In any scenario, we often come to think of the presence of delays and setbacks as a hallmark feature of failure, which we are taught to avoid at any cost. This indoctrination comes in various forms and in all walks of our lives.   What I have come to understand, however, is that can choose our response to any setback.   When we remove the concept of failure, replacing it with setbacks along the long road leading to success, each setback becomes a defining moment in our endeavor towards success. Resolution of each obstacle now becomes a milestone for new developments, change in perspective and learning.   There is no failure, only th...

LENGTHS   When creating reading materials, questionnaires and surveys, keeping in mind the principle of “first impressions” can be crucial.   One such factor that influences our first impressions is the overall length of reading materials.   Even before we’ve had a chance to start reading, our brain forms an opinion on the material at hand based on its LENGTH or number of pages.   Who wants to spend time reading a 25-page article when a 2-page summary of the same is readily available? Why do you think journal articles come with 100–200-word abstracts?   Refer to the document images attached (Let’s use the same document images as before).   At a glance, which looks more time-consuming to read? Document 1:  OR Document 2: