Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Lack of research amongst undergraduate medical students in India: It’s time to act and act now

  • Perspective
  • Published:
Indian Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Participation in research is important in producing doctors with an understanding of evidence-based medicine. Though a mandatory part in post-graduate medical course, research has largely been invisible from the under graduation medical course in India. Very few research opportunities are available at under graduate level. The reason behind this is lack of encouragement, lack of basic infrastructure, facilities and structured mentorship programs, no extra incentives to researchers and the long journey to get academic acclaim. Another additional aspect is of lack of writing skills for biomedical publication. Additional incentives to students as well faculty members are required to foster the research environment in India.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wickramasinghe DP, Perera CS, Senarathna S, Samarasekera DN. Patterns and trends of medical student research. BMC Med Educ. 2013;13:175.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Stringer MD, Ahmadi O. Famous discoveries by medical students. ANZ J Surg. 2009;79:901–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Carter JB, Luckhardt AB. Discoveries by medical students. JAMA. 1956;160:504.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ohry A. Outstanding discoveries made by medical students. Prog Health Sci. 2012;2:162–70.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dangayach NS, Kulkarni UP, Panchabhai TS. Mentoring medical student research through studentships and fellowships: Reflections from India. J Postgrad Med. 2009;55:152–3.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Institute for Statistics. Country profiles: India. Human Resources in Research and Experimental Development (RandD). Available from: http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/countryprofile.aspx?region code=40535andcode=IND. Accessed May 26, 2016.

  7. Gupta BM, Bala A. Scientometric analysis of Indian research output in medicine during 1999–2008. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2011;2:87–100.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Lal S. Scenario of Postgraduate Medical Education in Community Medicine in India. Indian J Community Med. 2004; 29:56–61.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Garg R, Gupta S. Are we really producing public health experts in India?: Need for a paradigm shift in postgraduate Teaching in Community Medicine. Indian J Community Med. 2011;36:93–7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. National Health Research Policy 2011. Department of Health Research. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. New Delhi. Available from: http://www.dhr.gov.in/annual_report/2011-12/national_health.pdf. Accessed May 26, 2016.

  11. Ray S, Shah I, Nundy S. The research output from Indian medical institutions between 2005 and 2014. Curr Med Res Pract. 2016;6:49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Shankar PR, Chandrasekhar TS, Mishra P, Subish P. Initiating and strengthening medical student research: Time to take up the gauntlet. Kathmandu University Med J. 2006;4:135–8.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Remes V, Hellineus I, Sinisaari I. Research and medical students. Med Teach. 2000;22:164–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Abraham D, Swamy RS. Perspectives in Mentorship and Mentoring Programs in Post-graduate Medical Education and Beyond: An Indian viewpoint. J Educational Res Med Teacher. 2015;3:1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Aggarwal R, Gogtay N, Kumar R, Sahni P, Indian Association of Medical Journal Editors. The revised guidelines of the medical council of India for academic promotions: Need for a rethink. Indian Pediatr. 2016;53:23–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Chaturvedi S, Aggarwal OP. Training interns in populationbased research: learners’ feedback from 13 consecutive batches from a medical school in India. Med Educ. 2001;35:585–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Harsha HN, Jayaram S, Kumar GS, Vinita J, Rohit S, Satish M, et al. Perception, practices towards research and predictors of research career among UG medical students from coastal South India: A cross-sectional study. Indian J Community Med. 2009;34:306–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Datta SS, Boratne AV, Singh Z. Attitude, perception and demand for research among medical undergraduates in a teaching medical institution in South India. Indian J Publ Health Res Develop. 2012;3:139–43.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Houlden RL, Raja JB, Collier CP, Clark AF, Waugh JM. Medical students’ perceptions of an undergraduate research elective. Med Teach. 2004;26:659–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Ogunyemi D, Bazargan M, Norris K, Jones-Quaidoo S, Wolf K, Edelstein R, et al. The development of a mandatory medical thesis in an urban medical school. Teach Learn Med. 2005;17:363–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kasulkar AA, Gupta M, Chari S, Kanade HT. Assessment of medical students’ interest in research in central India. J Evolution Medi Dent Sci. 2013;2:5375–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Ratnayake GM, Jayasena GM, Weeratunga PN, et al. Medical student research output in a developing country: Where has all the research gone? Med Teach. 2012;34:998.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. The Indian Council of Medical Research. Grant Schemes. Short Term Studentship. Available from: http://www.icmr.nic.in/Grants/Grants.html. Accessed May 26, 2016.

  24. Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY). Government of India. Available from: http://kvpy.iisc.ernet.in/main/eligibility.htm. Accessed May 18, 2016.

  25. National Defence Fund. Salient Features of “PM’s Scholarship Scheme” being implemented out of National Defence Fund. PMINDIA. Available from: http://pmindia. gov.in/en/national-defence-fund/. Accessed May 26, 2016.

  26. Indian Oil for Society. Indian Oil Educational Scholarship Scheme 2014. Available from: https://iocl.com/aboutus/scholarships.aspx. Accessed May 26, 2016.

  27. Deo MG. Undergraduate medical students’ research in India. J Postgrad Med. 2008;54:176–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. The Forum for Medical Students’ Research. INFORMER-Observation beyond Vision. Available from: http://www.informer.org.in/about-us/vision. Accessed May 26, 2016.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine, MM Medical College, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Rajesh Garg & Kamaljit Singh

  2. Department of Dentistry, MM Medical College, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Shobha Goyal

  3. H No 1000, Sector 19, Part - 2, HUDA Colony, Kaithal, Haryana, 136 027, India

    Rajesh Garg

Authors
  1. Rajesh Garg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shobha Goyal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kamaljit Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rajesh Garg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Garg, R., Goyal, S. & Singh, K. Lack of research amongst undergraduate medical students in India: It’s time to act and act now. Indian Pediatr 54, 357–360 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-017-1104-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-017-1104-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation