VetClin 576 Introduction to Clinical Research
VetClin 576 Introduction to Clinical Research
Last update 4/7/21
Page evolves as semester progresses!
Purpose:
Provide links to handout and on-line materials for this year's class
Sessions: 2021 - via Zoom, timing to be established by participants
Week 1: Introduction:
Handouts:Videos to view, noting the key points about the review process and what makes proposals outstanding:
- 2021 Syllabus - PDF - read & click through hot links - (2020 - pdf)
- Proposal Framework Guide - PDF - begin developing framework
- Optional Word template - docx
- Creating a collaborative peer writing group during residency. H Lukolyo, EM Keating, CA Rees (2018). Med Educ Online 24(1), 1563421- PDF
On-Line papers to read for concepts and terminology:
- Science Writing: Practice makes it (almost) perfect - YouTube (25:00) Dr. Ginger Carney, UI Dean College of Science
Suggested presentations to view:
- Evaluation of the Evidence. Holmes, MA (2007). Vet Clin Small Anim 37:447-462. - online (Note the study diagrams)
- Understanding and Evaluating Veterinary Clinical Research, Buhles WB, PH Kass (2012). Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association Sep/Oct 2012, 48:285-298 - pdf (Note the Glossary!)
- Invited Review: Study Design Considerations for Clinical Research in Veterinary Radiology and Radiation Oncology, PV Scrivani, HN Erb (2013). Vet Radiol Ultrasound, 54(4):317–325 - pdf (Note Table 2!)
Suggested reading:
- Grant Writing 101: It's not rocket surgery - YouTube (24:30)
- 2013 AAVC Residents' Professional Development and Leadership Conference:
- Turning a Clinical Question into a Testable Hypothesis - LA Trepanier, U Wisc - video
- Chapters 1 and 2 in Holmes and Cockcroft, Hulley et al., or Portney and Watkins
- Chapters 1 and 2 in Ruxton and Colegrove
- selected papers from The Lancet 359 (2002) Epidemiology Series - DA Grimes, KF Shultz:
- An overview of clinical research: The lay of the land. The Lancet 359:57-61. online
- Descriptive studies: What they can and cannot do. The Lancet 359:145-149. online
- Bias and causal associations in observational research. The Lancet 359:248-252. online
- Cohort studies: Marching toward outcomes. The Lancet 359:341-344. online
- Case-control studies: Research in reverse. The Lancet 3359:431-434. online
Week 2: Experimental Design / Sample Size
Handouts:Online papers addressing statistics / sample size:
- Clinical study design tree, study weak points, and their correction - PDF (summarizes key concepts from the three concepts and terminology papers above - Know these!)
- Ishikawa (Fishbone) variance diagram - PDF (all potential sources of variation I could think of)
- Sample size estimation steps - PDF
- Anonymous successful grant examples
On-line chapters to read:
- Statistics 101 for Radiologists, A Anvari, EF Halpern, AE Samir (2015). Radiographics 35:1789-1801 - pdf (good statistics refresher)
- Why perform a priori sample size calculation? Farrokhyar F, et al Can J Surg 56(3):207-213 (2013) - pdf
- Sample Size Determination (ILAR J 43(4):207-213, 2002 html pdf)
Other Items:
- Chapter 2 “Conceiving the Research Question and Developing the Study Plan” of Designing Clinical Research, 4th ed (Amazon) (Note Figure 2.1 the research physiology diagram and Table 2.1 the FINER acronym!)
- Chapter 2: Sample Size - from Van Belle (2008) Statistical Rules of Thumb 2nd ed - pdf
- CISER WSU Center for Interdisciplinary Statistical Education and Research
Up to 6 Engaged Learning Hours annually of no-cost statistical assistance for:
- Design of experiments
- Analysis and interpretation of data
- Grant proposals
Note: Having your Proposal Framework reasonably well fleshed out so that a consultant can easy grasp the overall project will facilitate your discussions with them
- GWC WSU Graduate Writing Center
- Sample Size Determination in Health Studies: A practical manual, SK Lawanga, S Lemeshow, WHO 1991- pdf
Week 3: Rejection, Discussion and Literature Searching
On-line handouts:
Dr. Suzanne Fricke, Animal Health Librarian - Animal Health Library - meet in ADBF 2018, bring laptopSites and resources from Dr. Fricke's presentation:
- WSU Library Guides:
- EDA - Experimental Design Assistant
- Google Scholar
- ORCID author database
- Semantic Scholar - Allen Institute, Seattle
- The EQUATOR Network - reporting guidelines for main study types
- EBVM Resources - Databases and websites for veterinarians
- PICO.vet - building a well-structure, focused clinical question for literature searching
- PubMed topic specific - veterinary science
- BestBETs for Vets - review of current best evidence for common specific clinical questions
- Love Data Week (how to take better care of your data) - formerly Love Your Data
- NCBI PubMed Help and Tutorial Section (extensive) - Training Tutorial
Web of Science Quick Reference Guide - pdf - Training Tutorial
- EndNote Quick Reference Guide - pdf
websites:On-line applied biostatistics collections:
- EDA - Experimental Design Assistant
- 3Rs - Reduction.co.uk, MFW Festing - experimental design short course for studies using animals
- NIH NIAID Grant Proposal Examples - The "Gold Standard"
- Statistics Simplified (S Shott, 2011):
- Designing studies that answer questions (S Shott, JAVMA 238(1):55-58) - pdf
- Detecting statistical errors in veterinary research (S Shott, JAVMA 238(3):305-308) - pdf
- Describing data (S Shott, JAVMA 238(5):588-591) - pdf
- Testing ideas and estimating clinical importance (S Shott, JAVMA 238(7):871-876) - pdf
- Comparing percentages (S Shott, JAVMA 238(9):1122-1125) - pdf
- Comparing means or distributions (S Shott, JAVMA 238(11):1422-1428) - pdf
- Relationships between two categorical variables and between two noncategorical variables (S Shott, JAVMA 239(1):70-74) - pdf
- Relationships between categorical dependent variables and other variables and between waiting times and other variables (S Shott, JAVMA 239(3):322-327) - pdf
- Relationships between more than two variables (S Shott, JAVMA 239(5):587-593) - pdf
- Wrapping it all up (S Shott, JAVMA 239(7):948-950) - pdf
- Explorations in Statistics (list of 12 special papers in Advances in Physiology Educ ) - html
Week 4: Peer Discussions of Proposal Framework, Writing Grant Proposal Elements
Online handouts:
- Using the Scientific Literature for Grant Proposals - PDF (note literature types and which to use or not!)
- Spotting Model Gaps and Errors - PDF
- Study Framework Evaluation - PDF doc
- Thoughts on Grant Proposal Components
- Compiled Specific Aim Advice and Examples - PDF
- Sample Size and Statistical Analysis Statement Examples - PDF
Online Papers - Dr. Robert Porter: (Read these!)
Recent on-line writing guidance: (much in the primary scientific literature)
- Grantsmanship writing tips (European J Int Med): (Read these!)
- Introduction to the Specific Aims Page of a Grant Proposal (Acad Emerg Med. 2018 Sep; 25(9):1042–1047) - pdf
- The Jewel in the Crown: Specific Aims Section of Investigator-Initiated Grant Proposals (J Endocrine Society. 2017 Sep; 1(9):1194–1202) - pdf
- How to Prepare for and Write a Grant: Personal Perspectives (Gastroenterology. 2017; 152:7-11) - pdf
- Writing Clarifies Thinking - Ameet Ranadive, Lessons from McKinsey, 7/28/13
- Writing to clarify thoughts - Beh Kuhn, 3/13
Other:
- Scoping Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Meta-Analysis: Applications in veterinary medicine (Front Vet Sci, 28 January 2020) - html
- How to critically appraise a paper (Eq Vet Educ, 32(2):104-9, 2020) - pdf
- Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 1: Study Design ( Vet Path, 55(5):607-21, 2018) - pdf
- Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 2: Methodology ( Vet Path, 55(6):774-85, 2018) - pdf
- Reporting results with (Un)certainty ( Vet Clin Path, 48:259-69, 2019) - pdf
- Scimago Journal & Country Rank - Veterinary
Week 5: Storyline and Writing Guidance
On-line Handouts:
Other Online Materials:
- Ten things that can sink a grant proposal: Advice for a young psychologist - html (Note #1 & #2!)
- Inverted Pyramid - wiki
- Burying the lede - html - html2
- The Science of Scientific Writing, American Scientist - html pdf
- Why proposals are rejected - html (included in handout on rejection)
- Stanford STEM writing style guide - pdf (excellent guidance summary)
Week 6: Getting to Clarity
On-line Handouts:On-line materials to read:
- Deconstruction, Interrogation & Construction - PDF
- Proposal Framework Guide - PDF
- Spotting Model Gaps and Errors - PDF
- Research questions, hypotheses and objectives - Can J Surg 2010 Aug; 53(4): 278–281 - html
- The Feynman Technique - Scott Young pdf
- The Five Whys Technique - Knowledge Solutions pp 307-10 html
- Deconstructing a Research Article - pdf
- Chapter 2 “Conceiving the Research Question and Developing the Study Plan” of Designing Clinical Research, 4th ed (Amazon) (Note Figure 2.1 the research physiology diagram and Table 2.1 the FINER acronym!)
Week 7: Simplify, Simplify!
On-line Handouts:
- Pablo Picasso's Bull: Simplify, Simplify - PDF
- How Apple Uses Picasso To Teach Employees About Product Design - FastCompany 8/11/14
- Animals in Art - Pablo Picasso 'Bull' 1945 - 8/11/14
- How The Wrong Artist Got Credit For Inspiring The Macintosh Logo - FastCompany 2/8/14
- The Secret: What Makes a Great Photo - Ken Rockwell html
- "As simple as it can, but not simpler" - Roger Sessions html
- The Paramedic Method - PDF (self-editing skills)
- Richard Lanham - Revising Prose - 28 min YouTube
- Specific Aim Advice and Examples - PDF
- Example VCS resident/graduate student grant proposals (some details and required attachments removed for anonymity)
Handouts:
Week 14: Submit Proposal
Completed proposals due as pdf to Dr. Michael Court, VCS Research Committee Chair by 5:00 PM Monday, April 19th, 2021