562078 research-article2014
APY0010.1177/1039856214562078Australasian PsychiatrySiskind et al.
Australasian
Psychiatry
Research
How to survive in research: advice for the novice investigator
Australasian Psychiatry 2015, Vol 23(1) 22–24 © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1039856214562078 apy.sagepub.com
Dan Siskind Committee for Research, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), Melbourne, VIC, and; University of Queensland, School of Medicine and Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia Stephen Parker Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; University of Queensland, School of Medicine and Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Samantha Loi Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, St Vincent’s Health, University of Melbourne, St George’s Hospital, VIC, Australia Jeffrey C Looi Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra, Australia and Mental Health Service, ACT Health Directorate, Canberra Hospital, Woden, ACT, Australia
Matthew D Macfarlane Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Wollongong, NSW, Australia Sally Merry Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, Auckland, New Zealand Geoff Smith Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Centre for Mental Health Policy Research, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Steve Kisely Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; University of Queensland School of Medicine, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Abstract Objectives: This paper, written by the RANZCP Committee for Research, provides an outline for how to survive in research, considering the ingredients likely to contribute to success, the role of supportive structures and the expected challenges. Learning how to survive in research is relevant for both trainees and for Fellows undertaking research at any stage of their career. Conclusions: Intellectual curiosity, perseverance, frustration tolerance, patience and humility are key for success as a researcher. Selection of the right supervisor is important, as is development and maintenance of a good working supervisor/supervisee relationship. The personal benefits of undertaking research include flexibility in work hours, and improved skills in writing, oral presentations, objectivity, critical thinking, problem solving and project management. Keywords: early career, research, psychiatry
E
Practically, this means a psychiatrist should have welldeveloped skills for interpreting, explaining and applying research in practice. Fellows, at all stages of their career, can undertake research. As specialist physicians,
The research changes to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Competency Based Fellowship Program (CBFP) have introduced a scholarly project as a mandatory training requirement. The integrated clinical psychiatrist-scientist is the aspiration for including research training in the RANZCP CBFP.
Corresponding author: Dan Siskind, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Committee for Research, University of Queensland, School of Medicine and Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Email: [email protected]
vidence-based mental health is the paradigm for the modern professional practice of psychiatry. With this, there is an increasing role for the clinician scientist in psychiatry. The skills required to undertake research can be acquired at any stage in a career, from trainee to senior Fellow.
22 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com at UNIV OF AUCKLAND LIB on May 21, 2015
Siskind et al.
psychiatrists should have a sophisticated working knowledge and experience of medical research in order to interpret and apply advances to patient care, and this can best be achieved by conducting research.1 To foster research amongst psychiatrists at all stages of their clinical career, the RANZCP Committee for Research provides an overview of how to survive in research. This paper is targeted at any trainee or Fellow about to undertake research, either as a small study, scholarly project, or as a career.
Why undertake research? Yewdell (2008) writes that “for rationally thinking people with an altruistic bent, life can be no more rewarding than when practising the scientific method for the benefit of all of the denizens of this fragile planet.”2 The Nobel prize-winning neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal wrote in his seminal 1898 tome Advice for a Young Investigator, “It is nevertheless true that if we arrived on the scene too late for certain problems, we were also born too early to help solve others. Within a century we shall come, by the natural course of events, to monopolize science, plunder its major assets, and harvest its vast fields of data.”3 His vision was prescient, as evidenced by the acceleration of scientific knowledge and output over recent decades. There are personal benefits to research. Over and above any specific knowledge gained in the topic of study, research teaches the scientific method, as well as skills in writing, oral presentations, objectivity, critical thinking, problem solving and project management. Outside of medicine, PhD graduates are hired by business not for their knowledge of their research topic, but for the rigor of their thinking.
Key ingredients for success Ramon y Cajal noted over 100 years ago that raw genius was not the most important predictor of success in research, but rather, hard work, ambition, patience, humility and passion.3 This remains true today. Learning how to conduct research is undertaken in a similar apprenticeship model to psychiatry training. Perseverance is essential, as research may entail a number of false turns. Keeping the research question sufficiently focused is important. There are also multiple preparatory stages including ethics applications, questionnaire approvals, piloting of assessment tools, seeking statistical advice and consulting co-supervisors. Life outside research will continue, so inevitably there will be expected and unexpected interruptions, which should be managed through advice and support. Sometimes the greatest discoveries are serendipitous. Phenothiazines were first used as anti-helminthic agents before their sedating and anti-psychotic effects were
detected.4 Imipramine was an unsuccessful anti-psychotic before its anti-depressive effects were noted.4 It is important to have a thick skin. Assessors, review panels and editors can be harsh when reviewing submissions. This should not be taken personally. Understanding why things didn’t work out as planned is part of the scientific process.5 Each roadblock presents an opportunity to rethink your approach and can guide incremental improvement in both the quality of the research output as well as one’s research skills. The ability to tolerate frustration and uncertainty is vital. An appropriate work–life balance is also crucial. Family and friends can be a useful reality check, support, and sometimes, critics. Downtime away from research can help hone thinking.
Surviving your supervisor Finding the right supervisor is possibly as important as choosing a research topic.2 Regular meetings are crucial, especially in situations of unfamiliarity with setting up and running a research project. Choosing a supervisor with the appropriate expertise involves seeking background information about the supervisor from the internet, reading papers, asking colleagues and, if available, talking with former research students (especially those who have graduated or moved on). Sources of information on potential supervisors include university websites under research and higher degrees or the “Find an Expert” section. The university or hospital’s research office, and published guidelines can also help in clarifying what to expect from a supervisor, and what a supervisor will expect from a trainee. Given possible high demand for supervisors, it is important to consider a number of relevant supervisors. For example, if a topic revolves around imaging and schizophrenia, potential supervisors might include a radiologist as well as a psychiatrist. Although the primary supervisor for the scholarly project must be an accredited FRANZCP, other specialists and allied health professionals can be excellent co-supervisors. As research progresses, additional co-supervisors may be required, or current co-supervisors may become redundant. It is crucial to meet, discuss and investigate the compatibility of the supervisor–supervisee relationship. Similarity in outlook, values and interests, as well as a sense of humor (or lack thereof) is important.6 If the research relationship is likely to be longer term, such as a PhD, it may be useful to try a test run with a supervisor, such as working on a small-scale pilot project to see if the supervision will work out in the longer term. Supervisors may be busy, yet it is important from the outset to agree roughly how often you should meet, for how long, set guides on other contact (phone/email) and what timelines are set. The availability of the supervisor should be investigated: for example, how often do
23 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com at UNIV OF AUCKLAND LIB on May 21, 2015
Australasian Psychiatry 23(1)
they travel away; does the supervisor have a private practice; and what is their current supervision load. Given both supervisor and supervisee are likely to be busy, it is important to triage communications accordingly. Simple things may be handled by email or a phone call, while complex matters should involve a face-to-face discussion. It is important to set realistic expectations for supervision. A good supervisor will help in the design, analysis and writing of the research, but cannot be expected to be privy to all the minutiae of the project and cannot be expected to remember every conversation. Managing up may be important. There needs to be a balance between learning how to say no to a supervisor’s suggestions, and being open to new ideas.
The cost of research A career in research can come with personal costs. Academic salaries are often lower than hospital salaries for doctors, and in the private sector there is limited opportunity for remuneration for activities beyond direct patient consultation. Although academe will not mean penury, it can be a pathway that could lead to lower financial remuneration than your colleagues in the private sector. For the early career researcher, there are limited funding opportunities. Many of the current generation of academics spent countless hours of unpaid time doing their research. Many research positions are unpaid, and will require working nights and weekends to pay the bills. For those fortunate to get a funded research position, they quickly realize that the time required for successful research will spill well beyond the normal 8.30am to 5pm work hours. This time commitment will have an impact on family, friends and hobbies. On the other hand, research demands are typically much more flexible than clinical demands and may fit more easily with family commitments. Applications for funding, data analysis and writing papers can all be done
anytime and anywhere. Doing research projects can be very satisfying and provide a good companion activity to clinical work. With all this in mind, a decision to undertake a career in research should not be taken lightly. Talk to your family, potential supervisors, others who are involved in research to help you make your decision, and consider the longer-term implications. Each individual’s experience in research will be different. It is beyond the scope of this introductory paper to outline all factors required to survive as a researcher.
Conclusions The scholarly project is now part of the CBFP training program. Learning how to survive in research is relevant for both trainees undertaking the scholarly project and for Fellows undertaking research at any stage of their career. Research provides benefits personally, and to society at large. Finding the right supervisor, intellectual curiosity and perseverance are keys to research success. Disclosure The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
References 1. Looi JC, Kisely SR, Merry SN, et al. Reviving the ethos of scientific research in psychiatric practice. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2013; 47: 309–311. 2. Yewdell JW. How to succeed in science: A concise guide for young biomedical scientists. Part I: Taking the plunge. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2008; 9: 413–416. 3. Ramón y Cajal S. Advice for a young investigator. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1999. 4. Ban TA. The role of serendipity in drug discovery. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2006; 8: 335–344. 5. Almeida-Souza L and Baets J. PhD survival guide. EMBO Reports 2012; 13: 189–192. 6. Johnson B and Ridley C. The elements of mentoring. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
24 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com at UNIV OF AUCKLAND LIB on May 21, 2015
APY0010.1177/1039856214562078Australasian PsychiatrySiskind et al.
Australasian
Psychiatry
Research
How to survive in research: advice for the novice investigator
Australasian Psychiatry 2015, Vol 23(1) 22–24 © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1039856214562078 apy.sagepub.com
Dan Siskind Committee for Research, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), Melbourne, VIC, and; University of Queensland, School of Medicine and Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia Stephen Parker Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; University of Queensland, School of Medicine and Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Samantha Loi Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, St Vincent’s Health, University of Melbourne, St George’s Hospital, VIC, Australia Jeffrey C Looi Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra, Australia and Mental Health Service, ACT Health Directorate, Canberra Hospital, Woden, ACT, Australia
Matthew D Macfarlane Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Wollongong, NSW, Australia Sally Merry Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, Auckland, New Zealand Geoff Smith Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; Centre for Mental Health Policy Research, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Steve Kisely Committee for Research, RANZCP, Melbourne, VIC, and; University of Queensland School of Medicine, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Abstract Objectives: This paper, written by the RANZCP Committee for Research, provides an outline for how to survive in research, considering the ingredients likely to contribute to success, the role of supportive structures and the expected challenges. Learning how to survive in research is relevant for both trainees and for Fellows undertaking research at any stage of their career. Conclusions: Intellectual curiosity, perseverance, frustration tolerance, patience and humility are key for success as a researcher. Selection of the right supervisor is important, as is development and maintenance of a good working supervisor/supervisee relationship. The personal benefits of undertaking research include flexibility in work hours, and improved skills in writing, oral presentations, objectivity, critical thinking, problem solving and project management. Keywords: early career, research, psychiatry
E
Practically, this means a psychiatrist should have welldeveloped skills for interpreting, explaining and applying research in practice. Fellows, at all stages of their career, can undertake research. As specialist physicians,
The research changes to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Competency Based Fellowship Program (CBFP) have introduced a scholarly project as a mandatory training requirement. The integrated clinical psychiatrist-scientist is the aspiration for including research training in the RANZCP CBFP.
Corresponding author: Dan Siskind, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Committee for Research, University of Queensland, School of Medicine and Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Email: [email protected]
vidence-based mental health is the paradigm for the modern professional practice of psychiatry. With this, there is an increasing role for the clinician scientist in psychiatry. The skills required to undertake research can be acquired at any stage in a career, from trainee to senior Fellow.
22 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com at UNIV OF AUCKLAND LIB on May 21, 2015
Siskind et al.
psychiatrists should have a sophisticated working knowledge and experience of medical research in order to interpret and apply advances to patient care, and this can best be achieved by conducting research.1 To foster research amongst psychiatrists at all stages of their clinical career, the RANZCP Committee for Research provides an overview of how to survive in research. This paper is targeted at any trainee or Fellow about to undertake research, either as a small study, scholarly project, or as a career.
Why undertake research? Yewdell (2008) writes that “for rationally thinking people with an altruistic bent, life can be no more rewarding than when practising the scientific method for the benefit of all of the denizens of this fragile planet.”2 The Nobel prize-winning neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal wrote in his seminal 1898 tome Advice for a Young Investigator, “It is nevertheless true that if we arrived on the scene too late for certain problems, we were also born too early to help solve others. Within a century we shall come, by the natural course of events, to monopolize science, plunder its major assets, and harvest its vast fields of data.”3 His vision was prescient, as evidenced by the acceleration of scientific knowledge and output over recent decades. There are personal benefits to research. Over and above any specific knowledge gained in the topic of study, research teaches the scientific method, as well as skills in writing, oral presentations, objectivity, critical thinking, problem solving and project management. Outside of medicine, PhD graduates are hired by business not for their knowledge of their research topic, but for the rigor of their thinking.
Key ingredients for success Ramon y Cajal noted over 100 years ago that raw genius was not the most important predictor of success in research, but rather, hard work, ambition, patience, humility and passion.3 This remains true today. Learning how to conduct research is undertaken in a similar apprenticeship model to psychiatry training. Perseverance is essential, as research may entail a number of false turns. Keeping the research question sufficiently focused is important. There are also multiple preparatory stages including ethics applications, questionnaire approvals, piloting of assessment tools, seeking statistical advice and consulting co-supervisors. Life outside research will continue, so inevitably there will be expected and unexpected interruptions, which should be managed through advice and support. Sometimes the greatest discoveries are serendipitous. Phenothiazines were first used as anti-helminthic agents before their sedating and anti-psychotic effects were
detected.4 Imipramine was an unsuccessful anti-psychotic before its anti-depressive effects were noted.4 It is important to have a thick skin. Assessors, review panels and editors can be harsh when reviewing submissions. This should not be taken personally. Understanding why things didn’t work out as planned is part of the scientific process.5 Each roadblock presents an opportunity to rethink your approach and can guide incremental improvement in both the quality of the research output as well as one’s research skills. The ability to tolerate frustration and uncertainty is vital. An appropriate work–life balance is also crucial. Family and friends can be a useful reality check, support, and sometimes, critics. Downtime away from research can help hone thinking.
Surviving your supervisor Finding the right supervisor is possibly as important as choosing a research topic.2 Regular meetings are crucial, especially in situations of unfamiliarity with setting up and running a research project. Choosing a supervisor with the appropriate expertise involves seeking background information about the supervisor from the internet, reading papers, asking colleagues and, if available, talking with former research students (especially those who have graduated or moved on). Sources of information on potential supervisors include university websites under research and higher degrees or the “Find an Expert” section. The university or hospital’s research office, and published guidelines can also help in clarifying what to expect from a supervisor, and what a supervisor will expect from a trainee. Given possible high demand for supervisors, it is important to consider a number of relevant supervisors. For example, if a topic revolves around imaging and schizophrenia, potential supervisors might include a radiologist as well as a psychiatrist. Although the primary supervisor for the scholarly project must be an accredited FRANZCP, other specialists and allied health professionals can be excellent co-supervisors. As research progresses, additional co-supervisors may be required, or current co-supervisors may become redundant. It is crucial to meet, discuss and investigate the compatibility of the supervisor–supervisee relationship. Similarity in outlook, values and interests, as well as a sense of humor (or lack thereof) is important.6 If the research relationship is likely to be longer term, such as a PhD, it may be useful to try a test run with a supervisor, such as working on a small-scale pilot project to see if the supervision will work out in the longer term. Supervisors may be busy, yet it is important from the outset to agree roughly how often you should meet, for how long, set guides on other contact (phone/email) and what timelines are set. The availability of the supervisor should be investigated: for example, how often do
23 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com at UNIV OF AUCKLAND LIB on May 21, 2015
Australasian Psychiatry 23(1)
they travel away; does the supervisor have a private practice; and what is their current supervision load. Given both supervisor and supervisee are likely to be busy, it is important to triage communications accordingly. Simple things may be handled by email or a phone call, while complex matters should involve a face-to-face discussion. It is important to set realistic expectations for supervision. A good supervisor will help in the design, analysis and writing of the research, but cannot be expected to be privy to all the minutiae of the project and cannot be expected to remember every conversation. Managing up may be important. There needs to be a balance between learning how to say no to a supervisor’s suggestions, and being open to new ideas.
The cost of research A career in research can come with personal costs. Academic salaries are often lower than hospital salaries for doctors, and in the private sector there is limited opportunity for remuneration for activities beyond direct patient consultation. Although academe will not mean penury, it can be a pathway that could lead to lower financial remuneration than your colleagues in the private sector. For the early career researcher, there are limited funding opportunities. Many of the current generation of academics spent countless hours of unpaid time doing their research. Many research positions are unpaid, and will require working nights and weekends to pay the bills. For those fortunate to get a funded research position, they quickly realize that the time required for successful research will spill well beyond the normal 8.30am to 5pm work hours. This time commitment will have an impact on family, friends and hobbies. On the other hand, research demands are typically much more flexible than clinical demands and may fit more easily with family commitments. Applications for funding, data analysis and writing papers can all be done
anytime and anywhere. Doing research projects can be very satisfying and provide a good companion activity to clinical work. With all this in mind, a decision to undertake a career in research should not be taken lightly. Talk to your family, potential supervisors, others who are involved in research to help you make your decision, and consider the longer-term implications. Each individual’s experience in research will be different. It is beyond the scope of this introductory paper to outline all factors required to survive as a researcher.
Conclusions The scholarly project is now part of the CBFP training program. Learning how to survive in research is relevant for both trainees undertaking the scholarly project and for Fellows undertaking research at any stage of their career. Research provides benefits personally, and to society at large. Finding the right supervisor, intellectual curiosity and perseverance are keys to research success. Disclosure The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
References 1. Looi JC, Kisely SR, Merry SN, et al. Reviving the ethos of scientific research in psychiatric practice. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2013; 47: 309–311. 2. Yewdell JW. How to succeed in science: A concise guide for young biomedical scientists. Part I: Taking the plunge. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2008; 9: 413–416. 3. Ramón y Cajal S. Advice for a young investigator. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1999. 4. Ban TA. The role of serendipity in drug discovery. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2006; 8: 335–344. 5. Almeida-Souza L and Baets J. PhD survival guide. EMBO Reports 2012; 13: 189–192. 6. Johnson B and Ridley C. The elements of mentoring. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
24 Downloaded from apy.sagepub.com at UNIV OF AUCKLAND LIB on May 21, 2015
