Workshop at CHLA 2014

1. RESEARCH BY DESIGN
Lorie Kloda, MLIS, PhD, AHIP
Assessment Librarian
McGill University
Canadian Health Library Association
Montreal, June 17, 2014

2. Introductions
• Name
• Position title
• Institution/hospital
• City
• Experience with research

3. Today’s outline
8:15 Research plan objectives
8:30 Overview of research plan elements
9:00 The research topic, problem, and objective
9:45 The literature review
10:15 BREAK!
10:30 Methods
11:00 Resources and costs
11:30 Wrap up and further resources
11:45 Evaluation

4. BURNING QUESTION
Warm-up Activity

5. Why do I need a plan/proposal?
Some (good) reasons:
• Organize your research project
• Convince prospective supporters of its value
• Obtain funding
• Find supervisor or collaborators (colleagues)
• Ethics approval
• Requires you to focus your thoughts and decide what to
do

6. Plan or proposal?
Plan Guide
Proposal Persuade

7. What should I include in my plan?
• Title
• Abstract/summary
• Background, context, rationale
• Purpose of the study
• Literature review
• Research design and methods
• Ethical issues
• Work plan/Timetable
• Anticipated results
• Dissemination, deliverables
• Resources and costs
• References

8. Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine
Boruff, J. T., & Storie, D. (2014). Mobile devices in
medicine: A survey of how medical students, residents, and
faculty use smartphones and other mobile devices to find
information. Journal of the Medical Library Association,
102(1), 22-30. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.102.1.006
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878932/

9. Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups
Koufogiannakis, D., Buckingham, J., Alibhai, A., & Rayner,
D. (2005). Impact of librarians in first-year medical and
dental student problem-based learning (PBL) groups: A
controlled study. Health Information & Libraries Journal,
22(3), 189-195. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-1842.2005.00559.x

10. Topic, problem, & objective

11. Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine
Topic(s): mobile devices, information seeking,
clinical question answering
Problem: What should librarians provide in terms of
support?
Objective: To determine the extent students, residents,
and faculty use mobile devices for finding
information to support their studies/work.

12. Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups
Topic: Teaching EBM
Problem: Does the librarian play a role? If so, what is
the most effective way to make a contribution
to medical/dental students’ learning?
Objective: To determine if librarians presence in
problem-based learning “small groups”
resulted in better learning of EBM concepts
by students.

13. IDENTIFY YOUR
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Activity 1

14. Literature review

15. Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine
Areas: Mobile device usage (handhelds, tablets,
PDAs)
Information seeking of health professionals
(in general, not just doctors)
Sources: health & librarianship databases and journals
health librarianship conferences
health informatics

16. Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups
Areas: Problem-based learning and librarians’ role
Assessment of EBM learning by students
Librarian role in EBM, teaching students in
the health professions
Sources: health, librarianship, and education
databases and journals
health librarianship and medical education
conferences

17. LITERATURE REVIEW:
TOPICS & SOURCES
Activity 2

18. Methods
• Approach
• Population of interest
• Sampling method
• Recruitment method (specify location, setting)
• Specific methods, tools and instruments for data
collection and analysis
• Research data management

19. Exemplar 1: Mobile devices in medicine
Approach: Quantitative, observational using survey
Population: Canadian students, residents, faculty
Sampling: 4 universities (McGill, Alberta, Ottawa,
Calgary)
Recruitment: Email lists
Methods: Survey questionnaire, SPSS for descriptive
stats + read comments

20. Exemplar 2: Librarians in EBM small groups
Approach: Quantitative, controlled study with
intervention
Population: Medical students
Sampling: U of Alberta students in 6-week EBM course,
random assignment of librarian/control
Recruitment: N/A (students could opt-out)
Methods: Instruments: Pre- and post- tests (likert
scales), final exam
Descriptive and inferential statistics

21. CHOOSE A METHOD
Activity 3

22. Resources & costs
• Support for your research
• Research costs
• Research tools

23. IDENTIFY RESOURCES
Activity 4

24. Wrap-Up

25. NEXT STEPS
Wrap-Up Activity