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Resources

These pages list a variety of web based resources that may be helpful in developing your research project. Many are cited in the supporting documents to this site. Web based resources are constantly changing and many new resources appear. Please let us know of any useful resources that you find. Please let us know if the links no longer work.

General
Funding information
Journals
Courses
Textbooks

General

Research Methods Knowledge Base - William M Trochim, Cornell University
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/
This is a comprehensive web-based guide to research methods. The nearest thing to an on line textbook of this subject.

Other sources that may be useful include:

Statistics
Databases - published research
Databases - research in progress
Ethics
Research governance
Writing and submitting a paper
Academic career advice

Statistics

Emergency Medicine Journal series

University of Calgary Power Calculator
http://www.health.ucalgary.ca/~rollin/stats/ssize/

Databases - published research

MEDLINE - US National Library of Medicine
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

EMBASE - Excerpta Medica
http://www.embase.com/

Cochrane library
http://www.update-software.com/cochrane/cochrane-frame.html

Databases - research in progress

NHS National Research Register
Current research of interest to the NHS
http://www.update-software.com/National/

ClinicalTrials.gov
Current research of interest to the US National Institutes of Health
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui

Ethics

Department of Health Central Office for Research Ethics Committes (COREC) http://www.corec.org.uk/

MRC guidance on good research conduct (ethics)
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index/public-interest/public-ethics_and_best_practice.htm

National Research Ethics Service (NRES)

http://www.nres.npsa.nhs.uk/

Research governance

Department of Health Research Governance Framework http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/rd3/nhsrandd/researchgovernance.htm

Writing and submitting a paper

BMJ advice for authors http://www.bmj.com/advice/

Other journals:

EMJ
http://emj.bmjjournals.com/misc/ifora.shtml

Academic Emergency Medicine
http://www.aemj.org/misc/ifora.shtml

Annals of Emergency Medicine
http://www2.us.elsevierhealth.com/scripts/om.dll/serve?web=em/infoauth.html&id=em

Journal of Trauma
http://www.jtrauma.com/

The Lancet
http://www.thelancet.com/authorinfo

Academic career advice

Academic Careers Advice - Academy of Medical Sciences http://www.academicmedicine.ac.uk

BMJ jobs supplement-Which research degree?
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/322/7277/S2a-7277

Full-time research posts
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7249/S2-7249

Doing research
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7191/S2-7191

MRC research career opportunities
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index/about/about-careers/about-careers_with_mrc.htm

Wellcome Career Development Programmes
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/biosfgcdp.html

Funding information

Medical Research Council

Homepage http://www.mrc.ac.uk/

Department of Health

Research and Development homepage
http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/index.htm

Research and Development funding in the NHS http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/documents/rd3/first_class_service.pdf

Wellcome

UK funding schemes
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/biosfgunk.html

NHS

NHS Health Technology Assessment Funding Programme
http://www.hta.nhsweb.nhs.uk/index.htm

NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Funding Programme
http://www.sdo.lshtm.ac.uk/

Journals

BMJ http://www.bmj.com/
The Lancet http://www.thelancet.com/journal
New England Journal of Medicine http://content.nejm.org/
JAMA http://jama.ama-assn.org/
Emergency Medicine Journal http://emj.bmjjournals.com/
Annals of Emergency Medicine http://www.acep.org/1,156,0.html
Academic Emergency Medicine http://www.aemj.org/
Journal of Trauma http://www.jtrauma.com/
Heart http://heart.bmjjournals.com/
Postgraduate Medical Journal http://www.postgradmedj.com/

Courses

Taught courses in research methods vary from one day courses providing an introduction to statistics or qualitative methods, to Masters degree courses in Health Services Research. These courses usually cover quantitative and qualitative design and analysis, health economics, epidemiology and statistics, systematic reviews and critical appraisal. They provide a good general grounding in research methods for anyone interested in pursuing an academic career.

Trent Institute http://www.trentinstitute.org.uk/

Based in Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester, the Trent Institute runs a variety of half-day, one day and modular courses in research methods, statistics, health economics, and qualitative research. Also a two year, part time MSc in Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/courses

Masters courses in Epidemiology or Health Services/Systems Research. The Masters in Epidemiology is available by distance learning.

Bristol University Department of Social Medicine
http://www.epi.bris.ac.uk/shortc/shortc.htm

Short courses (2 to 5 days) in research methods, statistics, health economics and qualitative research.

University College London

Research Methods for Health Professionals http://www.ucl.ac.uk/primcare-popsci/education/postgrad/
res_methods_hprofs.htm is a one year course in quantitative and qualitative research methods aimed at junior doctors. The Masters in Health Services Research http://www.ucl.ac.uk/primcare-popsci/education/postgrad/mres.htm takes one year full-time or two years part-time.

The Nuffield Institute for Health http://www.leeds.ac.uk/content/home/home.asp

The MA in Health Service Studies (Research) is a one year full-time, or two years part-time, Masters course in health services research methods.

Textbooks

Research in Health Care. Crombie I K & Davies H T O. John Wiley and sons.
An excellent introduction to research methodology. Well worth reading before you commence any research project.

Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine. Sackett D L, Haynes R B, Guyatt, G H & Tugwell P. Little, Brown and Company.
The 'bible' of evidence based medicine. A good way to ensure your research is favourably appraised is to understand critical appraisal before you start.

Epidemiology in Medicine. Hennekens CH, Buring JE. Little, Brown and Co.
Basic epidemiological principals lie behind a proper understanding of research methods. This is a good, readable book to remind/familiarize you with the key issues.

Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes. Drummond M F, O'Brien B, Stoddart G L & Torrance G W. Oxford Medical Publications.
Essential reading for anyone contemplating an economic evaluation. Also useful if you want to understand what health economists are talking about.

Randomised controlled trials. Jadad A. BMJ Books.
A very readable book covering the key issues that need to be considered by anyone undertaking, or wishing to understand, a randomised controlled trial.

Medical statistics: A Commonsense Approach. Campbell M J & Machin D. John Wiley and sons.
Statistics are sometimes seen as just a p value and a funny sounding test that gives credibility to your study. This book explains the many valuable ways that an understanding of statistics can improve the validity of your research.

Practical Statistics for Medical Research. Altman D G. Chapman & Hall.
A more detailed statistical text yet starting from an assumption of little statistical knowledge.

Statistics with Confidence. Altman D G, Machin D, Bryant T N & Gardner M J. BMJ Books.
Medical journals are encouraging researchers to move away from hypothesis testing, with p values, and towards estimation, with confidence intervals. This book provides the explanations and simplifies the process by including some idiot proof computer software.

Health Services Research Methods: A Guide to Best Practice. Black N, Brazier J, Fitzpatrick R & Reeves B (Eds.) BMJ Books.
An advanced text relating to recent advances in research methodology.

How to Write a Paper. Hall G M (Ed.). BMJ Books.
Written by a variety of authors who have published research or been involved in the editorial process. Even if you don't agree with what they say, you would be wise to take note if you want your research to be published.

Qualitative Research in Health Care. Mays N & Pope C. BMJ Books.
A concise introduction to qualitative research containing papers originally published in the BMJ. (See link from <qualitative research>)