research methods training already received

Research methods and skills

Courses and training for graduate students, researchers and professionals

Training and professional development for researchers at various stage in their career: graduate and doctoral students, early-career researchers, and those with substantial experience looking for a refresher or extending their research into new areas

Mixed research methods

Medical and health sciences

Ecological research

Management and presentation skills

Flexible courses designed to be accessible to busy researchers, delivered by experienced tutors from a range of health, social scientific and ecological research communities.

The courses use a range of formats, including face-to-face, online, and blended learning. Most of the courses can be taken 'for credit' by research students seeking to build a portfolio of accredited training and development.

Upcoming courses

The wars of the roses: power, politics and personalities (online).

• Mon 16 Sep 2024 – 29 Nov 2024

Machine Learning of Wearables in Large Scale Biomedical Studies

• Sun 22 Sep 2024 – 27 Sep 2024

Introduction to Statistics for Health Care Research

• Mon 14 Oct 2024 – 06 Dec 2024

Reading the Past: Early Modern Handwriting and Palaeography

• Sat 26 Oct 2024 – 27 Oct 2024
• 9.45am Sat - 5.00pm Sun

Mixing it up: understanding and using mixed methods research in social sciences

• Mon 28 Oct 2024 – 20 Dec 2024

Research methods and skills courses

[email protected] +44 (0)1865 286938

Graduate School

Continuing professional development, business and management skills, research degrees.

Anuja Cabraal (Phd)

What should be included in a research methods course, but is often left out?

Topics that seem to be included in most research methods courses include:

• How to develop a research question
• Developing a research design
• Methodology
• Methods of data collection
• Validity, Reliability, Rigor
• Techniques of data collection (For example, how to conduct a good interview)

All of those are pretty important when it comes to research methods. Then there are topics that seem to be optional when it comes to course design but are also essential to the research process. I have listed the topics that I think are often the most left out but also important to include in methods courses. Some of them have been overlooked in subjects in which I have tutored or was a student. The list isn’t exhaustive by any means, and I’m really interested in your feedback.

Epistemology and Theoretical Perspectives

Theoretical perspectives and epistemologies set the foundation for designing and understanding research. When you are reading an academic publication, it is easier to critically evaluate the article and determine any biases in the research if you understand these concepts. If you’re designing your own research,  they can be useful in helping you narrow your topic and justify why you have used certain approaches. For qualitative researchers, they can help you to defend your topic and methodology to those more quantitatively minded! I always tell my students that if they understand different epistemologies and theoretical perspectives, they can win any argument without knowing anything about the topic. The reason? Because they will immediately be able to identify any biases or assumptions in the research (or argument).

New, emerging and unique ways of data collection

There are many different ways of collecting data beyond the interview, and survey. I used interviews and fieldwork for my research, but after hearing about some of the methods of my peers, I felt quite old-fashioned and conservative. Just to give you an example of some I have come across:

• Digital ethnography
• Photo diaries
• Creative writing (including story-telling)
• Picture diaries (where people draw things)
• Visual surveys (instead of word responses, there are pictures)

That’s just a start. There are lots more. I think they are useful to include because it makes the subject more interesting and it also gives students ideas on how they could use different techniques for their own research.

This is a really important one for me. When I run NVivo workshops, I ALWAYS get asked about techniques for analysis.  I find that in postgraduate courses, students are taught everything up until data analysis and then the course stops. Students are guided on developing a question, methods, collecting data and then just told to do their analysis and write up. I can’t understand why this is the case. Data analysis (regardless of the method) is not a straightforward process, particularly for qualitative methods. Even quantitative analysis is more complex than clicking a few things in SPSS. In any form of data analysis, you need to know what you are doing, why you are doing it and how the process will affect your results. Sadly, this isn’t often taught.

How to write

Students are just expected to write. While most people can put words on paper, or type words on a screen, the process of producing a literature review, thesis, report or academic paper is not as straightforward. I’m sure many academics will attest to that! There are different writing strategies that can be taught to students to help with the process of writing. Particularly those that help students identify what “type” of writer they are.

The list of topics to include in a research methods course is by no means exhaustive. I’m really interested to hear about your thoughts and experiences with research methods, whether it be as a student, tutor, lecturer or none of the above! Do you have other things you would include? Are there things you don’t think are important? What has been missing or useful in methods courses you have taken?

Share this:

Published by Dr. Anuja Cabraal

Writer. Qualitative researcher. View all posts by Dr. Anuja Cabraal

13 thoughts on “ What should be included in a research methods course, but is often left out? ”

I agree so much about this that I’ve just written a research methods textbook including all these points – plus a few more, e.g. how to actually manage the research process alongside everything else in life. The book is primarily aimed at practitioners conducting research, which may be postgrad academic research for CPD or workplace research (evaluations etc). NVivo gets a favourable mention – I’m a long-time user and devotee! Book info here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Research-Evaluation-Busy-Practitioners-Time-Saving/dp/1447301153/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345098242&sr=8-1

Thanks for the comment. Learning how to managing research while trying to live a balanced life is very important. Very relevant to PhD students too.

Helen – I shall check out your book as sounds very useful.

I am a PhD student in Australia. My university doesn’t offer a coherent research methods course (just a few bits and pieces)

Are you able to recommend a good research methods course either in Australia or UK via distance?

Thanks, Dale. Twitter: @DaleReardon

I’m suprised to here that there are no research methods courses at your university. Try giving Open Universities a go.

Dale, come the University of Queensland! I teach a great methods course that includes NVivo, called Advanced Issues in Qualitative Inquiry.

Nicole Shepherd

Really interesting ideas here Anuja – so many new NVivo users say “Ok, I’ve got all my data in, now what?” Not only are they trying to get to grips with the software but they’re struggling with how to approach data analysis as a whole – understandable since their research methods course probably offered little help with this crucial phase.

That is so true. I get it in workshops all the time. Students are often well supported until it gets to the data analysis stage, where they are sometimes just expected to know what to do. I see this all the time as an NVivo trainer. I really want to start incorporating some of those methods into my workshops. The knowledge gap needs to be filled somewhere!

I feel we often miss discussions of research as professional practice- as something that happens outside of academia in the ‘real world’. The researcher-as-activist and the researcher-as-practitioner. This means tailoring methods courses to give students the kinds of research skills they may need in industry, whether that’s quantitative analysis, monitoring and evaluation, or participatory action research.

I also think, for undergraduates in particular, methods courses should engage students as critical consumers of research. They should give them critical research literacy so that they can look at the results of research that are thrown about in media and policy debate and think critically about the methods, the bias, the sampling and so on that have led to that result.

After several years teaching research methods courses it always depresses me how very boring most methods textbooks are. They are pretty dry and don’t do much to get students excited about the possibilities of research. I like Maggie Walter’s Social Research Methods and Zina O’Leary’s Researching Real World problems for undergraduate courses in particular.

Thanks for sharing your feedback. I particularly think the word “critical” is important, especially so students can distinguish between media reports and good research, even between good and bad research!

I like the Walters book too (pictured above on my desk) but find that it is biased towards quantitative methods. I particularly like Crotty for explaining epistemology and theoretical perspectives. i haven’t come across O’Leary’s text, but will look it up.

Do you offer webinar on Nvivo’s use , if you do i would love to reserve my seat !

Hi! Not yet, but I am planning on starting before the end of the year.

Reblogged this on zane wubbena .

well this is very interesting am glad in my university this research methods are being taught.so pray for other universities to adopt the module.thanks cosmas

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• A-Z Sitemap
• Indigenous Education
• Academic Calendars
• Course Schedule
• Dates & Deadlines
• Course Registration
• Faculty & Staff Links
• Williams Lake
• News & Events
• Career Connections
• Student Email
• Staff Email
• TRUemployee
• Register now

Section Menu

• Open Learning
• Program Advising
• Programs FAQ
• TRU Start BC
• Arts and Science Breadth Requirements
• Business Breadth Requirements
• Courses FAQ
• Course Delivery Formats
• Education and Social Work Professional Development Courses
• Health Sciences Transition Courses
• Nursing Transition Courses
• Summer Science Lab Courses
• Information Sessions
• Registration FAQ
• Keys to Success
• Moodle Tutorials
• Finance FAQ
• Educational Advising
• ProctorU FAQ
• Canadian Invigilator Network (CIN)
• GDBA/MBA Exam Schedule
• Student Forms
• Academic Integrity and Student Conduct
• Formal Transfer Credit
• Registration
• Final Grades
• Grading Systems and Procedures
• Student Academic Appeals
• Program Completion and Graduation
• Release of Student Information
• Accessibility Services
• Writing Support
• Library Services
• Career Planning
• Open Learning Calendar
• Transferring Credit to Other Institutions
• University of Victoria Transfer Credit
• First Nations Language Centres
• Partnerships Contact
• Transfer FAQ
• Credit Bank
• Campus Students
• Open Learning Faculty Members
• Open Learning News
• Open Learning Teaching Excellence Awards
• Learning Technology

RSMT 3501: Introduction to Research Methods

This course will provide an opportunity for participants to establish or advance their understanding of research through critical exploration of research language, ethics, and approaches. The course introduces the language of research, ethical principles and challenges, and the elements of the research process within quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Participants will use these theoretical underpinnings to begin to critically review literature relevant to their field or interests and determine how research findings are useful in forming their understanding of their work, social, local and global environment .

Online, Paced

• 60 credits of coursework

Credit will only be granted for one of HEAL 350, HLTH 3501 or RSMT 3501 .

Learning outcomes

• Understand research terminology
• Be aware of the ethical principles of research, ethical challenges and approval processes
• Describe quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches to research
• Identify the components of a literature review process
• Critically analyze published research

Course topics

• Module 1: Foundations
• Module 2: Quantitative Research
• Module 3: Qualitative Research
• Module 4: Mixed Methods Research

Required text and materials

The following materials are rquired for this course:

• Creswell, J. W. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches (6th Ed.) Sage Publications. Type: Textbook. ISBN: 9781071817940
• Thompson Rivers University Library. (2011). APA Citation Style - Quick Guide (6th ed.). Retrieved from https://tru.ca/__shared/assets/apastyle31967.pdf

Optional materials

Students are recommended to have access to a print copy of a dictionary of epidemiology, research or statistics or an online glossary.

A highly recommended dictionary is: Porta, M. (2014). A dictionary of epidemiology (6th ed). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Assessments

To successfully complete this course, students must achieve a passing grade of 50% or higher on the overall course and 50% or higher on the mandatory final project.

Tri-council Ethics Certification

As part of the module on Research Ethics, students will work through the Tri-council Research Ethics Certification online program that will provide them with a certificate of completion. Students will need to submit a copy of this certification as part of their final project to complete the course.

Open Learning Faculty Member Information

An Open Learning Faculty Member is available to assist students. Students will receive the necessary contact information at the start of the course.

• Terms & Privacy
• Emergency Information
• Accreditation
• Accessibility Feedback
• Current Students
• Prospective Students
• Open Learning Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Financial Aid
• All Student Services
• Careers at TRU
• News & Events
• Conference Centre
• Find a space

Thank-you, this course is now in your cart .

Proceed to checkout

RSMT 3501 Estimated Costs

Tuition and course fees: Includes tuition, administration, technology and other related fees.

Required material fees:

Shipping and handling fees:

Add to cart

NOTE: Values shown are estimates and may differ from actual costs. Currency shown in Canadian dollars.

Thank-you. This course is now in your cart .

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Clin Transl Sci
• v.15(7); 2022 Jul

Translational researchers’ training and development needs, preferences, and barriers: A survey in a National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in the United Kingdom

1 National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford UK

Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah

2 Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford UK

Lorna R. Henderson

Vasiliki kiparoglou.

3 Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford UK

The objective was to identify translational researchers’ training and development needs, preferences, and barriers to attending training. This cross‐sectional study involved an online questionnaire survey. The research population comprised a convenience sample of translational researchers and support staff ( N  = 798) affiliated with the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. The response rate was 24%. Of 189 respondents, 114 were women (60%) and 75 were men (40%). The respondents were mainly research scientists (31%), medical doctors and dentists (17%), and research nurses and midwives (16%). Many of the respondents had attended at least one training course in the last year (68%). Training in statistics and data analysis was the most common training received (20%). Leadership training was the most wanted training (25%). Morning was the most preferred time of training (60%). Half a day was the ideal duration of a training course (41%). The main teaching hospital site was the most preferred location of training (46%). An interactive workshop was the most favored delivery style of training (52%). Most common barriers to attending training were the lack of time (31%), work (21%) and clinical commitments (19%), and family and childcare responsibilities (14%). Some differences in training needs, preferences, and barriers were found by gender and role, though these were not statistically significant. Translational researchers want short, easily accessible, and interactive training sessions during the working day. The training needs, preferences, and barriers to attending training need to be considered while developing inclusive training programs in biomedical research settings.

Study Highlights

• WHAT IS THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE TOPIC?

Training and continuing professional development of translational researchers is critical for research and innovation in healthcare, improving patient care, and career advancement.

• WHAT QUESTION DID THIS STUDY ADDRESS?

We studied the training and development needs and preferences of translational researchers and research support staff as well as barriers they encounter in attending training.

• WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD TO OUR KNOWLEDGE?

In translational research settings, clinical researchers and research support staff prefer short and interactive training sessions in a convenient location during the working day, preferably in the morning for half a day. Translational researchers want training in leadership, research grant and fellowship writing, and statistics and data analysis. Lack of time and clinical commitments are the biggest barriers preventing clinicians and nurses from attending training.

• HOW MIGHT THIS CHANGE CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY OR TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE?

Translational research organizations should develop training programs that must consider training location, timing, and duration that suit clinicians, nurses, and other health professionals who work in very busy and highly demanding clinical settings. In addition, trainees’ gender, physical limitations, childcare and family commitments, and especially professional roles are also important factors to consider in developing inclusive training programs.

INTRODUCTION

In the United Kingdom (UK), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are part of the Government's initiative to improve the translation of basic scientific developments into clinical benefits for patients and to reinforce the position of the country as a global leader in healthcare related research. 1 A review of the NIHR training program 1 found that there was a need to develop innovative approaches to train the translational research workforce of the future, and to develop their career pathways as the clinical and translational research environment is changing rapidly. Training is vital to maintain a skilled workforce, as healthcare changes with technological advances and emerging diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). 2 It is also a way for individuals to develop their careers, improve confidence, motivation, and ultimately retention. 3 In addition, training and development is essential for improving patient care 4 as well as research and innovation. 5 , 6 Translational researchers therefore need to be provided with professional and skills development training that not only meets their needs and requirements but is also designed and delivered according to their preferences. 7 Such training programs could help translational researchers enhance their research skills, confidence, and ability to undertake various research‐related tasks such as developing study design, data collection and analysis, and synthesis and reporting of research findings. 8

According to the 2019 Researcher Development Concordat, 9 researchers must be equipped and supported to be adaptable and flexible in an increasingly diverse global research environment and employment market. This Principle recognizes the importance of continuous professional and career development, particularly as researchers pursue a wide range of careers. 9 Most clinical practitioners receive regular professional training such as good clinical practice and obtaining ethical approval, but not leadership training and research skills, which are associated with progression in rank, leadership position, and research publication. 10 It is therefore imperative to know the areas of skills development, preferences for the delivery of training, and barriers to attending training in translational research settings, which involves mostly clinicians and nurses working in very demanding clinical environments.

The primary objective was to identify the training and development experiences, needs, and preferences, as well as barriers to attending training, of translational researchers and research support staff affiliated to one of the largest NIHR BRCs in the UK. The secondary objective was to study whether there were any differences in training needs, preferences, and barriers based on the gender and role of translational researchers.

Study design and setting

This cross‐sectional online questionnaire survey was undertaken at the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), which is a partnership that brings together the research expertise of the University of Oxford and the clinical skills of healthcare staff of Oxford University Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, with the aim of supporting translational research and innovation to improve healthcare for patients. 11 Founded in 2007, the NIHR Oxford BRC is one of five centres funded by the NIHR and has received over £260 million since its foundation to support translational research. The NIHR Oxford BRC is divided into 20 research themes with over 500 researchers and research support staff supported by the BRC. 11

The NIHR Oxford BRC's overarching strategy focuses on building capacity with the explicit aim to attract, develop, and retain the best research professionals. 1 First, by providing opportunities for talented healthcare research staff to develop their expertise and skills through higher degrees, as well as via shorter research fellowships. Second, to facilitate the training and engagement in professional development of all its affiliates including researchers and research support staff. The BRC spends in the region of £300,000 a year on training and education for translational researchers and research support staff. This is about 1.3% of its total annual budget of £23 million. On average, about 70 researchers a year benefit from training support which includes providing training bursaries, fellowships, and bespoke courses including leadership, health economics, and grant‐writing skills.

The NIHR Oxford BRC works collaboratively with other organizations including the Clinical Research Network, the Oxford Health BRC, and the University of Oxford, that also provide a range of training opportunities for supported staff. In addition, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides training for their staff under the Core Skills Training Framework that includes statutory and mandatory training in different areas, such as infection prevention and control, conflict resolution, and safeguarding adults and children. 12

To plan an effective training and skills development program we sought the views of translational researchers and research support staff within and affiliated to the NIHR Oxford BRC about their training experiences, needs, and preferences, which is imperative according to the Researcher Development Concordat, 9 as well as barriers to attending training courses.

Study population

The study population included anyone involved in translational research and affiliated to the NIHR Oxford BRC. This convenience sample included medical doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, clinical scientists, statisticians, software engineers, administrative staff, and clinical trial managers supported directly by the BRC. In addition, we sent the questionnaire to professionals who were involved with translational research but not supported directly by the BRC such as research nurses.

Development of the survey questionnaire

The survey questionnaire was developed and comprised of 10 questions with a mix of multiple‐choice questions and free‐text answers. These questions asked for participants’ gender, role, research theme, training attended in the last year, training found most useful, the most wanted training, the time, duration, location and delivery style of training, and barriers to attending training. Participants were also given an open‐ended choice to comment on the training received in the past, including any other aspects of training and development. The questionnaire was intended to be quick and easy to complete while capturing the information required to develop and revamp the BRC's training program that met the training and development needs of translational researchers and research support staff. The questionnaire was developed using the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC®) online survey software. 13 The questionnaire was piloted with five members of the core administration team of the BRC. The survey questionnaire is available on request from the authors.

Administration of the survey

Using the JISC online surveys, 13 the survey was sent via personalized emails to 798 translational researchers and research support staff associated/affiliated with the NIHR Oxford BRC in October 2019. They were given 2 months to respond, with two reminders. We collated all responses received by December 31, 2019. With the JISC online survey, data were secure and strict information security standards were followed (ISO27001) 14 in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations. 15

Data analysis

Data were downloaded from the JISC to the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 23.0 for Windows 16 and Microsoft Excel. Data were analyzed for frequencies and descriptive statistics. Differences in training needs, preferences, and barriers by gender and role were determined at two levels: most common and second most common, based on the first and second highest number of responses, respectively, within two categories of gender (i.e., male and female) and six categories of role (i.e., medical doctors/dentists, allied health professionals, research nurses/midwives, research scientists, administrators/managers, and others). For checking any significant differences within genders and within roles, the chi‐square test of independence was used. We did not impute missing values or perform sensitivity analyses.

Patient and public involvement

As this study focused on professional training and development needs of translational researchers and research support staff affiliated with the NIHR Oxford BRC, neither patients nor the public were involved in the study.

Reporting checklist

We report this study according to the Consensus‐Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies. 17

Ethics approval

This study was an evaluation of the training and development service. We used the Health Research Authority (HRA) decision tool to gauge if our study required NHS ethics approval. The HRA tool results suggested that our study would not be considered research; hence, NHS ethics approval was not required and obtained. In addition, our retrospective application for ethics approval was reviewed by the Officer of the University of Oxford Medical Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee (MS IDREC) with reference to formally approved processes and it was determined that the study would be classified as evaluation, rather than research, and therefore did not require ethical review (CUREC Application: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"R77595","term_id":"852705","term_text":"R77595"}} R77595 /RE001, date August 26, 2021).

The survey was completed by 189 participants. The response rate was 24%. Respondents comprised 114 women (60%) and 75 men (40%). A total of 31% respondents identified themselves as research scientists, medical doctors and dentists (17%), nurses and midwives (16%), administrators and managers (16%), allied health professionals (7%), and others (13%) such as research project managers, data scientists, analysts, and programmers (Table  1 ). Most medical doctors and dentists, and research scientists were men while research nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals, as well as administrators, managers, and others, were mostly women. The respondents were from all 20 research themes as well as the management team of the NIHR Oxford BRC (Table  1 ).

Respondents’ gender, role, and research theme

Training received in the last year

Over two‐thirds of respondents (68%) reported attending at least one training course in the past year. The most common training received was in statistics and data analysis (20%), followed by research methods (19%), statutory and mandatory training (18%), and good clinical practice (16%) (Table  2 ). Most commonly, women received training in research methods as well as statutory and mandatory training, while the most common types of training received by men were statistics and data analysis training (Table  2 ). Most frequently, medical doctors and dentists received training in statistics and data analysis as well as good clinical practice training, research nurses and midwives received training in good clinical practice and statutory and mandatory training, administrators and managers received statutory and mandatory training, while research scientists, allied health professionals, and others received training in statistics and data analysis (Table  2 ).

Training received in the last year, training found most valuable, and training area most important to development and training needs

Training found most valuable

The majority of respondents (58%) reported they valued training particularly in statistics and data analysis (19%), research methods (18%), and ethics and consent (10%), as well as statutory and mandatory training (10%) (Table  2 ).

By gender, the most valuable training was statistics and data analysis, and research methods training for many female respondents, while statistics and data analysis training was the most valuable training for the majority of male respondents. According to roles, research methods training was most valuable to the majority of medical doctors and dentists, statutory and mandatory training for research nurses and midwives, and statistics and data analysis training for most of the research scientists, research allied health professionals, administrators, managers, and others (Table  2 ).

Most important training area

Leadership skills was the most important training area for many respondents irrespective of their gender (25%) (Table  2 ). Most important training area by role included statistical analysis for medical doctors and dentists, designing and conducting clinical trials and clinical skills for research nurses and midwives, writing research grants and fellowship applications for research scientists and allied health professionals, and leadership skills for administrators, managers, and others (Table  2 ).

Open‐ended comments

In the free‐text comments, 44 participants (32 women and 12 men) provided information about why certain training courses were valuable to them (Box  1 ). These remarks illustrated the usefulness of training. The major themes evident from these comments were the application of training in research work, training tailored to the role, research‐related specific training, and training in specialized areas such as clinical, epidemiological, and communication skills (Box  1 ).

Selected open‐ended comments about the usefulness of training received

Training applicable at work

“The Biomedical Data Science training program was an incredible course, I learned a lot and have been able to apply it to my own data.” [Respondent #34, female, research scientist]

Training tailored to the role

“The EMBO [European Molecular Biology Organization] course: 30 hours of high‐quality leadership training tailored specifically to my role as a new PI [Principal Investigator].” [Respondent #35, male, research scientist]

“Leadership training SBS [Said Business School] access to wide network of international leaders and techniques to apply to the BRC [Biomedical Research Centre] and make a difference.” [Respondent #43, female, manager]

“Information Governance at HTA [Health Technology Assessment] as these are key aspects of my role.” [Respondent #150, female, research nurse/midwife]

Research‐related specific training

“Clinical Trial [training]…allowed me to run my study more carefully.” [Respondent #67, male, medical doctor/dentist]

“Publication schools – excellent and engaging faculty, gained a lot of knowledge about publishing process and the university regulations.” [Respondent #47, female, medical doctor/dentist]

“HRA [Health Research Authority] approvals as it was short so able to go in work time and relevant to job.” [Respondent #129, female, research nurse/midwife]

“GCP [Good Clinical Practice] update as relevant and practical and opportunity to meet other research staff.” [Respondent #134, female, research nurse/midwife]

Training in specialized areas

“Epidemiological assessment of vaccines provided me with knowledge applicable to my current post. Tropical nursing provided me with a wider knowledge of the diseases we are looking vaccines for.” [Respondent #78, male, research nurse/midwife]

“The vaccinology courses gave me more knowledge and understanding to work at a higher standard that was required, and the other training was helpful for career progressing.” [Respondent #185, female, administrator/manager]

“Communications course – extremely useful for having difficult conversations.” [Respondent# 112, female, medical doctor/dentist]

Ideal length of a training course

For most participants, regardless of gender and role, half a day was the perfect length of a training course (41%) (Table  3 ). The next best duration of a training course included 1–2 h, which was ideal for female respondents and those who were administrators and managers, as well as a full day that was the second best duration of training for male respondents and those who were medical doctors, dentists, allied health professionals, research nurses, and midwives (Table  3 ).

Ideal length of a training course, preferred time of day for training, ideal location for training, and preferred delivery style of training

Preferred time of day for training

Regardless of respondents’ gender and role, morning was the most preferred time (60%), and weekends was the least preferred time for training (1%) (Table  3 ). The second most preferred time for training was afternoon for both male and female respondents and for medical doctors, dentists, allied health professionals, and research nurses and midwives, while lunch time was the second most preferred time for training for administrators and managers (Table  3 ). Research scientists equally preferred whole day and 1–2 h as the second most preferred times for training (Table  3 ).

Ideal location for training

The main teaching hospital (i.e., John Radcliffe Hospital) was the most preferred location for training (46%), irrespective of respondents’ gender and role except research nurses and midwives, while training outside of the city (i.e., Oxford) was the least preferred location (3%), regardless of respondents’ gender and role (Table  3 ).

Preferred delivery style of training

Regardless of respondents’ gender and role, an interactive workshop was the most preferred delivery style of training (52%), while a journal club/Discussion was the least preferred (1%) training delivery style (Table  3 ).

Barriers to attending training

While 37% of respondents did not face any barriers to attending training, 63% of those surveyed encountered different barriers that prevented them from attending training courses (Table  4 ). The most common reasons for not attending training courses included lack of time (31%), work commitments (21%), clinical commitments (19%), and childcaring and family responsibilities (14%) (Table  4 ). Both male and female respondents reported a lack of time as the most common barrier; time was also a major barrier for many administrators and managers, and research scientists; however, medical doctors, dentists, research nurses, and midwives reported clinical commitments as the most common barrier to attending training courses (Table  4 ).

Nearly 800 people were sent the online survey and about one in four participants completed and returned it. Thus, the response rate was 24%, which is relatively low but it is comparable to many studies involving clinicians and using online/web surveys, 18 which usually have a low response rate. 19 Nonetheless, the accuracy and validity of studies with lower response rates are not less than the studies having higher response rates. 20 , 21

Six of ten (60%) respondents were women and the largest professional group to respond was research scientists (31%). The proportion of female respondents tends to be higher than male respondents in studies that have important implications for women such as gender equity and markers of achievement in translational research settings ,22 as well as health and wellbeing issues affecting clinicians and other healthcare professionals. 23

While the majority of respondents reported receiving training within the past year, there were mixed reviews regarding the usefulness of the training. Those courses linked directly to professional development, career advancement, and research expertise were well received given their implications for developing competencies and improving recruitment and retention, as well as improving healthcare delivery 3 and research productivity such as publications. 10

For example, training in leadership skills and research grant and fellowship writing were highlighted as the most important training opportunities for the future as these skills are associated with advancement in rank and leadership positions as well as research excellence. 10 Training in leadership also helps in increasing personal effectiveness and promoting a positive attitude to professional development. 9 Female respondents were more likely to identify the need for leadership skills training when compared to male respondents. These findings may be indicative of a gap in leadership skills among women in translational research settings 24 , 25 where leadership is considered as a marker of achievement. 22 Gender equity in leadership is essential, 22 , 25 and the gender gap in leadership could be reduced by providing leadership training. 26 Training in gender‐specific leadership interventions can also improve leadership and decision making. 27

In terms of training delivery method, our results showed that mornings were the most popular, along with half‐day interactive workshops, which promote deeper and more productive learning. 28

The most preferred training location was near to the workplace, which is recommended for the training of healthcare workers. 29 We found that busy professionals working in translational research, such as clinicians and nurses, need training that is convenient, nearby, and flexible to fit with their incredibly busy schedules. 30

A range of barriers to attending training were reported and the major barriers were the lack of time, 31 work and clinical commitments as well as childcare and family responsibilities. 32 The greatest barriers to attending training among medical doctors, dentists, nurses, and midwives were lack of time and clinical commitments. 33 In contrast, administrators, managers, and research scientists had less time to attend training. Transportation and parking were also obstacles to training, especially for people with disabilities. It is therefore imperative to provide training at a convenient and easily accessible location where participants do not have to travel, which could save the time of busy clinicians and it would be a great advantage to participants with disabilities and other limitations.

Table  5 shows differences by gender and role of respondents regarding training experiences, needs, and barriers, which we present at two levels, namely first and second most frequently occurring based on the most and second most common number of responses, respectively. We found some differences based on the gender and roles of respondents, but these were not statistically significant and therefore we do not present the results of these statistical analyses here. The differences in training issues not being statistically significant could be attributed to the fact that there were many categories of each training issue and fewer responses in some categories.

Differences in training needs, preferences, and barriers by gender and role

Nonetheless, our findings showed that female participants could not afford to attend a training course for an entire day because of family commitments such as childcare and caring for elderly and sick family members, that are mostly carried out by women, 34 both before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. 35

Our results revealed that the most common barrier to attending training for medical doctors, dentists, and research nurses was clinical commitments, while for research scientists, administrators, and managers the most common barrier was time constraints (Table  5 ), however these differences were not statistically significant.

However, evidence shows that the role or professional group of a trainee is an important factor that influences training needs. 31 It is therefore important that professional training is inclusive and considers participants’ professional roles, preferences, needs, accessibility, location, timing, physical limitations, and work and family commitments. It is also essential to consider equality, diversity, and inclusion in the development of training programs, especially in biomedical research settings where translational research is conducted in diverse clinical domains by multidisciplinary research teams, 36 , 37 which often have differing training needs and preferences as identified in the present study.

Training gap

In our survey we asked participants what type of training they had already received in the previous year and what they found valuable, and we discovered that nearly one‐third of the respondents (32%) did not receive any training at all. For those who had received training (68%), networking with other researchers was one of the main benefits. Even though professional training courses such as good clinical practice and informed consent remain mandatory, there is a gap in continuous personal development training.

Interestingly, 57% of the 44 respondents who identified leadership as their most important development and training need were women and 27% were clinical staff. Studies have shown the importance of good medical leadership training 38 because leadership is one of the competencies required in translational research. 36

The results of our study indicate a gap in the availability of training opportunities, particularly for leadership training, for translational researchers. These findings can be used to further develop training as an integral part of career development pathways for translational researchers and research support staff in order to meet their professional and career advancement goals.

Strengths and limitations of the study

We conducted this survey to identify gaps in the NIHR Oxford BRC's training and development program as well as to identify the training and development needs and preferences of translational researchers and research support staff affiliated with or supported by the BRC. Leadership, grants/fellowship writing, and statistical analysis skills were the most sought‐after training skills. Time constraints and work commitments, along with childcare obligations, impeded attendance at training programs.

Limitations of the study include a relatively low response rate (i.e., 24%); however, this is comparable to previous studies 18 and is even higher than some earlier research involving clinicians. 39 Another limitation of the study is that there were no statistically significant differences in training needs, preferences, and barriers based on either the gender or professional role of the respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

In translational research settings, training sessions should be held at a convenient location, during the working day, preferably in the morning, to best meet the training needs of translational researchers and research support staff. Training should be easily accessible, interactive, and relevant. Among the most critical areas for training of translational researchers are leadership skills, grant and fellowship writing, and statistics and data analysis. Time constraints as well as clinical and work commitments continue to be the biggest barriers to training for translational researchers, especially for clinicians and nurses. Translational researchers have different training needs, preferences, and barriers dependent on the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, mainly their roles and professional groups, which need to be taken into account when designing inclusive training and developing courses and programs in biomedical research settings.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

K.B. is Training and Education Manager, S.G.S.S. is Senior Research Fellow, L.R.H. is Senior Manager, and V.K. is Chief Operating Officer at the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

K.B., S.G.S.S., L.R.H., and V.K. wrote the manuscript. K.B. and S.G.S.S. designed the research. K.B. performed the research. K.B. and S.G.S.S. analyzed the data.

CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE

In line with the University of Oxford's policy on staff and students in research, participation was entirely voluntary. Participants were able to withdraw at any time, and their participation or decision not to participate did not affect their employment or academic assessment in any way. Completion of the questionnaire survey was considered as their consent. All data were coded to ensure participants’ anonymity and confidentiality, and data were digitally stored on a password‐protected PC that could only be accessed by the lead researcher. Results are reported at an aggregate level.

PREPRINT DEPOSITION

A preprint of this manuscript was published on the medRxiv preprint on August 29, 2021 ( https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.27.21261708 ).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to thank all the participants for taking the time to complete the survey. We also thank Rochelle Cook for checking the manuscript.

Bell K, Shah SG, Henderson LR, Kiparoglou V. Translational researchers’ training and development needs, preferences, and barriers: A survey in a National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in the United Kingdom . Clin Transl Sci . 2022; 15 :1737‐1752. doi: 10.1111/cts.13289 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

Karen Bell and Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah are joint first authors on this work.

This study was funded/supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (Research Grant No. IS‐BRC‐1215‐20008). The funding organization had no role in the survey design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of this study. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the National Health Service (NHS), the NIHR, or the Department of Health.

About NCRM and how we can help you

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) delivers cutting-edge research methods training and capacity building across the UK. We provide courses and resources for both learners and trainers, supporting the research community in the social sciences and beyond.

Use the links below to find out how to get the most from our website and find out more about NCRM.

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior

Qualitative science and methods training program.

QSMTP provides state-of-the-science training and mentoring in qualitative and mixed research methods to postdoctoral and faculty investigators in the health sciences.

• Research Core Facilities and Resources

The Qualitative Science and Methods Training Program (QSMTP) methods core, founded in 2017, provides state-of-the-science training and mentoring in qualitative and mixed research methods to postdoctoral and faculty investigators in the health sciences. Qualitative methods involve the use of in-depth interviews, focus groups, cognitive interviews, and/or other procedures to optimize methodological rigor and enhance data richness. Integration of qualitative and quantitative methods (“mixed methods”) is increasingly expected in successful patient-oriented research applications to the NIH and other sponsors.

Kate Guthrie, Ph.D.

QSMTP director  Dr. Kate Guthrie  is a Professor (Research Scholar) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the Alpert Medical School and Behavioral and Social Sciences in the School of Public Health. Dr. Guthrie is also a Senior Research Scientist at The Miriam Hospital's  Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine . Dr. Guthrie has twenty-five years of experience conducting and supporting research projects in the areas of behavioral medicine and patient-oriented health research.

QSMTP provides scholars with:

• A didactic “Foundations in Qualitative Methods” seminar series, which provides attendees with theoretical and methodological knowledge of qualitative strategies that can be implemented in patient-oriented, grant-funded health research. No prior experience with qualitative research is  required. The seminar is currently co-taught by Dr. Guthrie and Dr. R. Rosen, who also serves as a consultant to Brown  University’s Advance-CTR’s Qualitative Research Support Services
• Weekly qualitative skills-building workshops, which are well-suited to investigators actively developing grants to conduct research with qualitative elements, and to investigators engaged in the development of their qualitative research protocols and procedures, preparing to initiate their studies, and/or collecting and analyzing their qualitative (or mixed methods) data
• Expert consultation for qualitative and mixed methods grant-writing and publication;  scholars in both the Foundations Seminar and/or Skills-Building Workshops can make individual appointments with Dr. Guthrie to address more detailed or time-intensive needs for their  research projects

All services are provided remotely.

QSMTP PARTNERS:  Academic and research units are invited to support the program via three-year commitments (academic year: July through June). This commitment secures seats for two scholars per year (postdoctoral fellows or faculty). QSMTP Partners are also eligible for additional seats at reduced fees per additional scholar. Please contact Dr. Guthrie to become a QSMTP Partner.

INDIVIDUAL SEATS:  Postdoctoral fellows and faculty from non-Partner units may participate if there is space at a standard cost per seat. The number of scholars may be capped, with preference given to Partners, to ensure high-quality, hands-on  training and mentoring. Please contact Dr. Guthrie for relevant costs.

REQUEST A CONSULTATION

Sentio Scholarship in Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Training

Sentio , in Latin, means to perceive, feel, or observe - the foundation for exploring individuals' experiences and narratives. The QSMTP’s Sentio Scholarship helps investigators develop their observational skills and curiosity into a proficiency with qualitative and mixed methods research. When funds and seats are available, the scholarship supports a postdoctoral fellow or faculty member from an eligible institution* to enroll in a QSMTP seminar and/or workshop for a period of one-to-two years.

*Individuals from the following institutions are eligible:

• Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs)
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
• non-R1  Doctoral Universities  ("Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity")
• Tribal Colleges and Universities
• International Colleges and Universities from middle- and/or lower- income countries

The application for the 2024-2025 academic year is now closed. Please check again in early 2025 for the next cycle.

Sentio Scholar Applies Qualitative Skills in Turkey and Nepal

Ceren Sönmez, Ph.D., the first Sentio scholar, has used her newly developed qualitative skills to study depression and anxiety among mothers in Turkey and depression among adolescents in Nepal.

Testimonials

“ Qualitative research was a whole new area of research for me. I have been funded to do quantitative research but my knowledge of qualitative methods was limited. With the QSMTP workshop I was able to appreciate the richness of qualitative data, its application in so many areas of medicine, and methodology. I then got funded through NHLBI to conduct a qualitative study. I could not have done this without Dr Guthrie's invaluable guidance and support. She is always available, is a great teacher, mentor, and sponsor, and has truly helped us in performing methodologically sound studies and offered our team of investigators additional flexibility on days that work for us. In short, she's an incredible methodologist and a wonderful teacher and I would do it again in a heartbeat. ”

I took Dr. Guthrie's program as part of my career development grant. It has shaped every aspect of my research career (in the use of technology to prevent and treat violence and related behavioral health problems) and my academic career (now as Academic Dean).

“ Participating in QSMTP and working with Kate are a key reason I was able to put together and get an NIH K award. ”

My current work is focused on iteratively revising an existing intervention to improve acceptability and strength of treatment effects for a new population. With my feet squarely in the quantitative space prior to starting my K23, the QSMTP seminar+workshop provided the ideal combination of didactic training and an open/collaborative environment where I could explore all of the ways that qualitative methodology can enhance the quality and impact of my research. This was crucial for executing my proposed research project but has also created space for me to think creatively about augmenting my research with qualitative/mixed methods in the future.

“ The QSMTP has been fundamental to better understanding qualitative work and gaining knowledge around best practices. QSMTP informed and guided my grant writing as well as the development of the agendas for in-depth qualitative interviews. Dr. Guthrie connected me with other personnel to practice my agendas in Spanish, which has been really helpful [in] tailoring the process to the needs of my project, which include interviews to Latinx caregivers around accessing mental health care and understanding the intergenerational transmission of trauma and the impact in Latinx parenting practice. ”

I attended Dr. Guthrie's workshop for a year while I was preparing my career development award and in the first months after funding. It has been an immense help to me in learning qualitative methods and applying them. I've since been able to obtain further NIH funding with qualitative aims. Dr. Guthrie provides hands-on guidance and is very available for questions and collaborations. Another benefit of the workshop is an opportunity to network with others at your institution who have similar interests but work in different departments or areas of the university. I highly recommend the QSMTP experience!

QSMTP offers such a rich learning environment. The workshop and seminar allow for the development of sound theoretical and foundational knowledge in qualitative skills, but also the hands-on, applied skills of designing, implementing, and analyzing qualitative data. Further, the rich environment of multidisciplinary peers allows for modeling of skills as well as vicarious learning. I learned so much in QSMTP that I never would have even known to ask! Further, having such a wealth of knowledge but also humor in Dr. Guthrie and my peers has greatly enriched my life as well as my work.

Dr. Guthrie brings rich expertise and enthusiasm to her course on qualitative research study design, data collection, and implementation. She provided me with foundational skills and personalized, weekly training in qualitative methods that allowed me to complete the initial qualitative aims of my NIMHD-funded K23 focused on developing and culturally tailoring an online behavioral weight loss intervention for sexual minority women.

• View all courses
• Taught postgraduate study
• Postgraduate taught degree courses
• Postgraduate taught tuition fees
• Pre-masters for international students
• Funding your postgraduate taught studies
• How to apply for a postgraduate taught degree
• Postgraduate offer holders - prepare for your studies
• Pre-sessional English courses
• PhDs and research degrees
• Create your own research project
• Find a PhD project
• Funding your research degree
• How to apply for a PhD or research degree
• How to make a PhD enquiry
• Support while studying your PhD or research degree
• Exchanges and studying abroad
• Undergraduate study
• Undergraduate degree courses
• Foundation year programmes
• Undergraduate tuition fees
• Customise your degree
• Funding undergraduate studies
• How to apply
• Tuition fees and funding
• Short courses
• Lunchtime evening and weekend courses
• Summer schools
• Get a prospectus
• Student life
• Accommodation
• Choose your halls of residence
• Apply for accommodation
• Guaranteed accommodation
• Your accommodation options
• Accommodation for those with additional requirements
• International and pre-sessional students
• Postgraduate accommodation
• Couples and students with children
• Renting privately
• Our accommodation areas
• Privacy notice
• Terms and conditions
• Fees and contracts
• Southampton
• Sports and gyms
• Sports facilities
• Sports clubs
• Watersports centres
• Our campuses
• Avenue Campus
• Boldrewood Innovation Campus
• City Centre Campus
• Highfield Campus
• University Hospital Southampton
• Waterfront Campus
• Winchester Campus
• Join our student community
• What's on
• Clubs and societies
• Sports teams
• SUSU places
• Representing you
• SUSU support and advice
• Support and money
• Living costs
• Academic and mental health support
• Support for disabled students
• Part-time work
• Health services
• Research projects
• Research areas
• Research facilities
• Collaborate with us
• Institutes, centres and groups
• Support for researchers
• Faculties, schools and departments
• Research jobs
• Find people and expertise
• Why work with us?
• Collaboration
• Consultancy
• Commercialisation
• Use our facilities
• Connect with our students
• How we operate
• Make a business enquiry
• International students
• International Office
• Partnerships and initiatives
• Visiting delegations
• Visiting fellowships

National Centre for Research Methods 2020-24

• Research groups: Centre for Research in Inclusion Population, Health and Wellbeing (PHeW)
• Lead researcher: Professor Gabriele Durrant
• Other researchers: Emeritus Professor David Martin , Professor Melanie Nind
• Research funder: ESRC
• Status: Active

Project overview

Professor Gabriele Durrant PhD

Research interests.

• survey data collection
• survey methodology
• statistical modelling

Email: [email protected]

Emeritus Professor David Martin

Email: [email protected]

Professor Melanie Nind BEd(Hons), PhD. FAcSS

• inclusive research
• learning disability
• research methods education

Email: [email protected]

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Centre for research in inclusion.

We work with teachers and young people to foster and improve inclusive practice.

• National Centre for Research Methods

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) provides training in research methods, produces online learning resources, conducts research and supports methodological innovation.

Methodological Innovation: Survey Methods and Official Statistics

Experts in the design and use of surveys, with particular relationships with official statistics, the use of administrative data sources, longitudinal surveys and modelling with survey data.

Population, Health and Wellbeing (PHeW)

We combine expertise in population, health and wellbeing with the application of technical excellence in geographic information systems (GIS), spatial analysis and qualitative methods.

Research outputs

• Course modules
• Acoustical engineering
• Biomedical and medical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Every day I’m completely immersed in an environment that’s creative in all aspects
• Everything I learn feels so relevant, even If it’s a subject rooted in the past
• Maritime engineering
• Photonics and optoelectronics
• Social statistics and demography
• A missing link between continental shelves and the deep sea: Have we underestimated the importance of land-detached canyons?
• A seismic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
• A study of rolling contact fatigue in electric vehicles (EVs)
• Acoustic monitoring of forest exploitation to establish community perspectives of sustainable hunting
• Acoustic sensing and characterisation of soil organic matter
• Advancing intersectional geographies of diaspora-led development in times of multiple crises
• Aero engine fan wake turbulence – Simulation and wind tunnel experiments
• Against Climate Change (DACC): improving the estimates of forest fire smoke emissions
• All-in-one Mars in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) system and life-supporting using non-thermal plasma
• An electromagnetic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
• An investigation of the relationship between health, home and law in the context of poor and precarious housing, and complex and advanced illness
• Antibiotic resistance genes in chalk streams
• Being autistic in care: Understanding differences in care experiences including breakdowns in placements for autistic and non-autistic children
• Biogeochemical cycling in the critical coastal zone: Developing novel methods to make reliable measurements of geochemical fluxes in permeable sediments
• Bloom and bust: seasonal cycles of phytoplankton and carbon flux
• British Black Lives Matter: The emergence of a modern civil rights movement
• Building physics for low carbon comfort using artificial intelligence
• Building-resolved large-eddy simulations of wind and dispersion over a city scale urban area
• Business studies and management: accounting
• Business studies and management: banking and finance
• Business studies and management: decision analytics and risk
• Business studies and management: digital and data driven marketing
• Business studies and management: human resources (HR) management and organisational behaviour
• Business studies and management: strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship
• Carbon storage in reactive rock systems: determining the coupling of geo-chemo-mechanical processes in reactive transport
• Cascading hazards from the largest volcanic eruption in over a century: What happened when Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted in January 2022?
• Characterisation of cast austenitic stainless steels using ultrasonic backscatter and artificial intelligence
• Climate Change effects on the developmental physiology of the small-spotted catshark
• Climate at the time of the Human settlement of the Eastern Pacific
• Collaborative privacy in data marketplaces
• Compatibility of climate and biodiversity targets under future land use change
• Cost of living in modern and fossil animals
• Creative clusters in rural, coastal and post-industrial towns
• Deep oceanic convection: the outsized role of small-scale processes
• Defect categories and their realisation in supersymmetric gauge theory
• Defining the Marine Fisheries-Energy-Environment Nexus: Learning from shocks to enhance natural resource resilience
• Design and fabrication of next generation optical fibres
• Developing a practical application of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies for conservation research and monitoring of endangered wildlife
• Development and evolution of animal biomineral skeletons
• Development of all-in-one in-situ resource utilisation system for crewed Mars exploration missions
• Ecological role of offshore artificial structures
• Effect of embankment and subgrade weathering on railway track performance
• Efficient ‘whole-life’ anchoring systems for offshore floating renewables
• Electrochemical sensing of the sea surface microlayer
• Engagement with nature among children from minority ethnic backgrounds
• Enhancing UAV manoeuvres and control using distributed sensor arrays
• Ensuring the Safety and Security of Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems
• Environmental and genetic determinants of Brassica crop damage by the agricultural pest Diamondback moth
• Estimating marine mammal abundance and distribution from passive acoustic and biotelemetry data
• Evolution of symbiosis in a warmer world
• Examining evolutionary loss of calcification in coccolithophores
• Explainable AI (XAI) for health
• Explaining process, pattern and dynamics of marine predator hotspots in the Southern Ocean
• Exploring dynamics of natural capital in coastal barrier systems
• Exploring the mechanisms of microplastics incorporation and their influence on the functioning of coral holobionts
• Exploring the potential electrical activity of gut for healthcare and wellbeing
• Exploring the trans-local nature of cultural scene
• Facilitating forest restoration sustainability of tropical swidden agriculture
• Faulting, fluids and geohazards within subduction zone forearcs
• Faulting, magmatism and fluid flow during volcanic rifting in East Africa
• Fingerprinting environmental releases from nuclear facilities
• Flexible hybrid thermoelectric materials for wearable energy harvesting
• Floating hydrokinetic power converter
• Glacial sedimentology associated subglacial hydrology
• Green and sustainable Internet of Things
• How do antimicrobial peptides alter T cell cytokine production?
• How do calcifying marine organisms grow? Determining the role of non-classical precipitation processes in biogenic marine calcite formation
• How do neutrophils alter T cell metabolism?
• How well can we predict future changes in biodiversity using machine learning?
• Hydrant dynamics for acoustic leak detection in water pipes
• If ‘Black Lives Matter’, do ‘Asian Lives Matter’ too? Impact trajectories of organisation activism on wellbeing of ethnic minority communities
• Illuminating luciferin bioluminescence in dinoflagellates
• Imaging quantum materials with an XFEL
• Impact of neuromodulating drugs on gut microbiome homeostasis
• Impact of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment in a changing world
• Impacts of environmental change on coastal habitat restoration
• Improving subsea navigation using environment observations for long term autonomy
• Information theoretic methods for sensor management
• Installation effect on the noise of small high speed fans
• Integrated earth observation mapping change land sea
• Interconnections of past greenhouse climates
• Investigating IgG cell depletion mechanisms
• Is ocean mixing upside down? How mixing processes drive upwelling in a deep-ocean basin
• Landing gear aerodynamics and aeroacoustics
• Lightweight gas storage: real-world strategies for the hydrogen economy
• Long-term change in the benthos – creating robust data from varying camera systems
• Machine learning for multi-robot perception
• Marine ecosystem responses to past climate change and its oceanographic impacts
• Mechanical effects in the surf zone - in situ electrochemical sensing
• Microfluidic cell isolation systems for sepsis
• Migrant entrepreneurship, gender and generation: context and family dynamics in small town Britain
• Miniaturisation in fishes: evolutionary and ecological perspectives
• Modelling high-power fibre laser and amplifier stability
• Modelling soil dewatering and recharge for cost-effective and climate resilient infrastructure
• Modelling the evolution of adaptive responses to climate change across spatial landscapes
• Nanomaterials sensors for biomedicine and/or the environment
• New high-resolution observations of ocean surface current and winds from innovative airborne and satellite measurements
• New perspectives on ocean photosynthesis
• Novel methods of detecting carbon cycling pathways in lakes and their impact on ecosystem change
• Novel technologies for cyber-physical security
• Novel transparent conducting films with unusual optoelectronic properties
• Novel wavelength fibre lasers for industrial applications
• Ocean circulation and the Southern Ocean carbon sink
• Ocean influence on recent climate extremes
• Ocean methane sensing using novel surface plasmon resonance technology
• Ocean physics and ecology: can robots disentangle the mix?
• Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Assessing the utility of coastal enhanced weathering
• Offshore renewable energy (ORE) foundations on rock seabeds: advancing design through analogue testing and modelling
• Optical fibre sensing for acoustic leak detection in buried pipelines
• Optimal energy transfer in nonlinear systems
• Optimizing machine learning for embedded systems
• Oxidation of fossil organic matter as a source of atmospheric CO2
• Partnership dissolution and re-formation in later life among individuals from minority ethnic communities in the UK
• Personalized multimodal human-robot interactions
• Preventing disease by enhancing the cleaning power of domestic water taps using sound
• Quantifying riparian vegetation dynamics and flow interactions for Nature Based Solutions using novel environmental sensing techniques
• Quantifying the response and sensitivity of tropical forest carbon sinks to various drivers
• Quantifying variability in phytoplankton electron requirements for carbon fixation
• Resilient and sustainable steel-framed building structures
• Resolving Antarctic meltwater events in Southern Ocean marine sediments and exploring their significance using climate models
• Robust acoustic leak detection in water pipes using contact sound guides
• Silicon synapses for artificial intelligence hardware
• Smart photon delivery via reconfigurable optical fibres
• The Gulf Stream control of the North Atlantic carbon sink
• The Mayflower Studentship: a prestigious fully funded PhD studentship in bioscience
• The calming effect of group living in social fishes
• The duration of ridge flank hydrothermal exchange and its role in global biogeochemical cycles
• The evolution of symmetry in echinoderms
• The impact of early life stress on neuronal enhancer function
• The oceanic fingerprints on changing monsoons over South and Southeast Asia
• The role of iron in nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis in changing polar oceans
• The role of singlet oxygen signaling in plant responses to heat and drought stress
• Time variability on turbulent mixing of heat around melting ice in the West Antarctic
• Triggers and Feedbacks of Climate Tipping Points
• Uncovering the drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression using patient derived organoids
• Understanding recent land-use change in Snowdonia to plan a sustainable future for uplands: integrating palaeoecology and conservation practice
• Understanding the role of cell motility in resource acquisition by marine phytoplankton
• Understanding the structure and engagement of personal networks that support older people with complex care needs in marginalised communities and their ability to adapt to increasingly ‘digitalised’ health and social care
• Unpicking the Anthropocene in the Hawaiian Archipelago
• Unraveling oceanic multi-element cycles using single cell ionomics
• Unravelling southwest Indian Ocean biological productivity and physics: a machine learning approach
• Using acoustics to monitor how small cracks develop into bursts in pipelines
• Using machine learning to improve predictions of ocean carbon storage by marine life
• Vulnerability of low-lying coastal transportation networks to natural hazards
• Wideband fibre optical parametric amplifiers for Space Division Multiplexing technology
• Will it stick? Exploring the role of turbulence and biological glues on ocean carbon storage
• X-ray imaging and property characterisation of porous materials
• Postgraduate Taught Diversity Scholarship (Environmental and Life Sciences)
• Southampton Business School Postgraduate UK Scholarship
• Southampton Genomics Talent Scholarship
• Southampton History Patricia Mather and Helen Patterson Scholarship
• Southampton MA Holocaust scholarships
• Southampton Philosophy David Humphris-Norman Scholarship
• Southampton UK Alumni Music Scholarship
• The National Institute for Health and care Research South Central INSIGHT Programme
• Winchester School of Art Progression Scholarship
• Southampton Physics and Astronomy Achievement Scholarship
• GREAT Scholarships 2024 – Greece
• Undergraduate scholarships for UK students
• Winchester School of Art Postgraduate Global Talent Scholarship
• Engineering Global Talent Scholarship
• Southampton University Corporate Civil Engineering Scholarship Scheme
• Merit scholarships for international postgraduates
• Merit scholarships for international undergraduates
• Scholarships, awards and funding opportunities
• Becas Chile Scholarship
• Chevening Scholarships
• China Scholarship Council Scholarships
• COLFUTURO Scholarships
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
• Commonwealth Master's Scholarships
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for high income countries
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
• Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarships
• FIDERH Scholarships
• Fulbright Awards
• FUNED Scholarships
• Great Scholarships 2024 – India
• Great Scholarships 2024 – Bangladesh
• Great Scholarships 2024 – Mexico
• Great Scholarships 2024 – Nigeria
• Marshall Scholarship
• Saïd Foundation Scholarships
• British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM
• Xiamen University PhD Scholarships
• GREAT scholarships for justice and law 2024 – Indonesia
• Scholarship terms and conditions
• Southampton Education Civic Scholarship
• Southampton Ageing and Gerontology Talent Scholarship
• Southampton Canadian Prestige Scholarship for Law
• Southampton Presidential International Scholarship
• Continuing professional development
• Archers Road
• City Gateway
• Erasmus Park
• Highfield Hall
• Orion Point
• Wessex Lane
• Cancer Sciences Protein Facility
• Geotechnical Centrifuge
• Maritime Robotics and Instrumentation Laboratory (MRIL)
• Active Living
• Advanced Fibre Applications
• Advanced Laser Laboratory
• Advanced Project Management Research Centre
• Antibody and Vaccine Group
• Astronomy Group
• Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton (ACoRNS)
• Bioarchaeology and Osteoarchaeology at Southampton (BOS)
• Bladder and Bowel Management
• Cell and Developmental Biology
• Centre for Defence and Security Research
• Centre for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
• Centre for Digital Finance
• Centre for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (CEEES)
• Centre for Empirical Research in Finance and Banking (CERFIB)
• Centre for Geometry, Topology, and Applications
• Centre for Global Englishes
• Centre for Global Health and Policy (GHaP)
• Centre for Health Technologies
• Centre for Healthcare Analytics
• Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration
• Centre for Imperial and Postcolonial Studies
• Centre for Inclusive and Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CISEI)
• Centre for International Film Research (CIFR)
• Centre for International Law and Globalisation
• Centre for Internet of Things and Pervasive Systems
• Centre for Justice Studies
• Centre for Linguistics, Language Education and Acquisition Research
• Centre for Machine Intelligence
• Centre for Maritime Archaeology
• Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture (CMRC)
• Centre for Modern and Contemporary Writing (CMCW)
• Centre for Music Education and Social Justice
• Centre for Political Ethnography (CPE)
• Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance
• Centre for Research on Work and Organisations
• Centre for Resilient Socio-Technical Systems
• Centre for Transnational Studies
• Child and Adolescent Research Group
• Clinical Ethics, Law and Society (CELS)
• Computational Nonlinear Optics
• Cyber Security Academy
• Data Science Group
• Digital Oceans
• EPSRC and MOD Centre for Doctoral Training in Complex Integrated Systems for Defence and Security
• Economic Theory and Experimental Economics
• Economy, Society and Governance
• Electrical Power Engineering
• Environmental Hydraulics
• Gas Photonics in Hollow Core Fibres 
• Geochemistry
• Global Health (Demography)
• Global Health Community of Practice
• Gravity group
• Healthy Oceans
• High Power Fibre Lasers
• Hollow Core Fibre
• Human Genetics and Genomic Medicine
• Infrastructure Group
• Institute of Maritime Law (IML)
• Integrated Photonic Devices
• Integrative Molecular Phenotyping Centre
• Interdisciplinary Musculoskeletal Health
• International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research (ICER)
• Language Assessment and Testing Unit (LATU)
• Laser-Direct-Write (LDW) Technologies for Biomedical Applications
• Law and Technology Centre
• Long Term Conditions
• Magnetic Resonance
• Mathematical Modelling
• Medicines Management
• Molecular and Precision Biosciences
• Multiwavelength Accretion and Astronomical Transients
• National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC)
• National Infrastructure Laboratory
• Nature-Based Ocean Solutions
• Nonlinear Semiconductor Photonics
• Ocean Perception Group
• Operational Research
• Optical Engineering and Quantum Photonics Group
• Paediatrics and Child Health - Clinical and Experimental Sciences
• People, Property, Community
• Photonic Systems, Circuits and Sensors Group
• Physical Optics
• Primary Care Research Centre
• Product Returns Research Group (PRRG)
• Quantum, Light and Matter Group
• Silica Fibre Fabrication
• Silicon Photonics
• Skin Sensing Research Group
• Southampton Centre for Nineteenth-Century Research
• Southampton Ethics Centre
• Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre (SHTAC)
• Southampton High Energy Physics group
• Southampton Imaging
• Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre
• Stefan Cross Centre for Women, Equality and Law
• String theory and holography
• The India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development
• The Parkes Institute
• Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory
• Ultrafast X-ray Group
• Vision Science
• WSA Exchange
• Work Futures Research Centre (WFRC)
• Departments

• +254 714 349 537
• [email protected]

• GIS Monitoring and Evaluation Climate Change Courses Project Management Office Administration Management And Leadership Community And Rural Development Data Management And Analysis Information Technology GIS Courses Accounting And Financial Management Procurement, Logistics And Supply Chain Management Banking Courses Marketing Courses Angriculture Courses
• Classroom Training Calendar Online Training Calendar Classroom Training Calendar
• Surveys and Data Collection Performance Evaluations Impact Evaluations Data Science Surveys and Data Collection Research Program Design and Implementation
• Online Training

Training Gallery

• Recent Clients

Accreditation

• Our Approach
• Find Answers

Monitoring And Evaluation Courses

Information Technology Courses

Management And Leadership Courses

Project Management Courses

Geographical Information Systems Courses

Office Administration Courses

Marketing Courses

Agriculture Courses

Procurement, Logistics And Supply Chain Management Courses

Accounting And Financial Management Courses

Banking Courses

Climate Change Courses

Community and Rural Development

Online Training Calendar

Classroom Training Calendar

Trained Clients

• Data Management and Analysis Courses

Training on Research Methodology

• Introduction
• About the course

About the Course

This course is aimed at equipping the participants with the knowledge and skills to undertake a research study. The participants will understand relevant theories, concepts, tools and techniques in research. This course is designed to be practical therefore the theoretical knowledge that constitutes research methodology is organized around the operational steps that form the research process for both quantitative and qualitative research.

Target Participants 

This training on research on methodology is aimed at researchers, students, academics or any other professional who want to enhance their research skills.

What you will learn  

By the end of this training the participants will be able to: .

• Formulate and write research questions, hypotheses and research objectives
• Effectively select the correct research design
• Examine critically the importance of a sampling strategy in both quantitative and qualitative research and be familiar with key sampling methods
• Undertake a critical literature review and recognize the strengths and weaknesses in secondary data
• Develop robust data collection instruments
• Write a research proposal that demonstrates an understanding of the research process and the key principles of research ethics
• Identify and appraise appropriate routes for the dissemination of research findings

Course Duration 

Online 14 Days

Classroom-based   10 Days

Course Outline 

Module 1: introduction to research, introduction to research.

• Research defined
• Research process
• What makes research scientific

From Research idea to Researchable Problem

• Where do research ideas come from
• Formulating the research problem
• Research problem to researchable questions

Formulating Research Questions, Hypotheses and Objectives

• Research questions
• Research hypotheses
• Research objective(s)
• Formulating research statements

Module 2: Research Approaches and Design

Research approaches.

• Introduction to research approach
• Quantitative research approach
• Qualitative research approach
• Mixed methods approach

Research Design

• Introduction to research design
• Relationship between research approach, research design and research methods
• Descriptive research
• Correlational research
• Causal-comparative
• Experimental
• Narrative research
• Phenomenology
• Grounded theory
• Ethnographies
• Explanatory sequential
• Exploratory sequential
• Transformative, embedded, or multiphase
• Criteria for selecting a research approach and design

Module 3: Sampling

Introduction to sampling.

• What is sampling?
• Sampling process
• What makes a good sample?
• Sampling method types

Sources of Error in Sampling and Measurement

• Sampling error
• Non-sampling errors
• Accuracy, precision, and bias

Sampling Methods

• Probability sampling
• Non-probability sampling

Sample Size Calculation

• Sample size calculation parameters
• Sample size calculation approaches and formulas
• Sample size considerations

Module 4: Data Collection in Research

Introduction to data collection.

• Data collection techniques
• Data collection sources
• Data collection pathways

Quantitative Data Collection 

• Qualitative data collection methods and tools
• Survey questionnaire
• Designing the questions
• Structuring the questionnaire
• Building a data management and analysis plan
• Pre-testing and finalizing data collection tools

Qualitative Data Collection

• Interview guide design
• Interview conduct
• Special considerations
• Designing the FGD guide
• Conducting the FGD

Module 5: Research Writing

Literature review.

• Characteristics of literature reviews
• Analysis and synthesis
• Types of literature reviews
• Process of conduction literature review
• Referencing and citation

Developing a Research Protocol

• Introduction to research protocol
• Drafting the main components of a research protocol
• Ethical review

Research Report

• Report structure
• Report content
• Data presentation
• Dissemination of findings

Training Approach

This training on research methodology is delivered by our seasoned trainers who have vast experience as expert professionals in research study. The course is taught through a mix of practical activities, theory, group works and case studies.

Training manuals and additional reference materials are provided to the participants.

Certification

Upon successful completion of this Training on Research Methodology, participants will be issued with a certificate certified by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).

Tailor-Made Course

We can also do this as tailor-made course to meet organization-wide training needs. A training needs assessment will be done on the training participants to collect data on the existing skills, knowledge gaps, training expectations and tailor made needs.

Sharing is caring:

Subscribe to our News Letter!

Elevate your professional development journey with our tailored newsletter! Stay ahead of industry trends, gain access to exclusive training resources and receive personalized insights crafted just for you.

Course Categories

• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Data Management & Analysis
• Management & Leadership
• Project Management
• Information Technology
• Accounting & Financial Management
• Procurement, Logistics & Supply Chain Management
• Office Administration
• Agriculture, Climate Change and Rural Development

Our Services

• Surveys and Data Collection
• Program Design and Implementation
• Performance Evaluations
• Impact Evaluations
• Rainbow Tower, 32 Muthithi Rd, Nairobi
• +254 714349537
• P.O. Box 38164-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

Devimpact Institute | All Rights Reserved | Powered by Devimpact Digital Team©

Terms and conditions, privacy policy, modal title.