Original Research Paper: Clinical Investigation

The SP that is an original research paper may be a clinical study conducted in humans or a translational/basic science study.

Clinical research is conducted with human beings as the participant, or with specimens that are linked to human participants. This can include studies of disease pathogenesis, natural history, epidemiologic or behavioral studies, treatment or prevention of disease, health services, or new technologies related to health or disease. Most clinical researchers work closely with biostatisticians to conduct analyses that are appropriate to the kind of study and research question. Clinical research papers may use data from an existing study or data source such as Clinical Looking Glass at Montefiore. Utilizing data from an existing study or data source is often the most feasible path to ensure that the SP can be completed within the required timeframe. Some student projects require medical chart review, structured interviewing of participants, or surveys that are conducted online. Students should select a mentor doing research that interests them and then work on a project that can be completed during medical school. The paper should be suitable for publication with the student as first author.

  • Abstract
  • Introduction (synthesizing the critical information that led to the study)
  • Methods (description of how you conducted the study and analyzed the data)
  • Results of data analysis
  • Discussion (significance of your results, their relation to the existing published literature, and limitations of your study)
  • References

Useful Resources for Original Clinical Research Papers