Description

A practical, empowering guide to help medical students embark on research projects with confidence.

The Medical Student's Field Guide to Research offers practical advice to medical students interested in contributing to the future of medicine through research. Based on the premise that every student can participate meaningfully in scientific discovery, this guide supports learners through every step—from preparation and project design to publication and presentation.

Paul B. Greenberg, MD, MPH, John C. Lin, and Victoria L. Tseng, MD, PhD, bring together the essential perspectives of a senior and junior faculty member and a current medical student. The result is an accessible, highly usable resource tailored to the realities of academic medicine today. Whether students are new to research or seeking innovative ways to enhance their current projects, this guide delivers strategic advice on securing mentors, identifying goals, managing time, navigating team dynamics, and producing impactful written work. Case studies highlight how students have shaped medical history and address the practical challenges students face, such as limited experience, uneven mentorship, and competing demands. The authors offer helpful tools to overcome these barriers with intention and adaptability and reinforce the importance of sustaining resilience and well-being.

By promoting sustainable research habits, this guide emphasizes the value of research not only as a professional milestone but also as a process of personal growth. For medical educators, The Medical Student's Field Guide to Research fills a vital curricular gap. For students, it opens doors to discovery and offers the confidence and clarity needed to become physicians and vital contributors to the scientific community.