Dental Student Research Involvement – Suggested Sequence

1. Dental Student Research Involvement – Suggested Sequence The School of Dentistry provides all dental students exposure to research during their matriculation. Research experience is looked upon favorably among specialty residency programs and gives those who plan to pursue academics insight and training in evidence-based learning. D3 Fall to D4 Spring D3 Summer D1/D2/D3 D1 Summer D4 Fall/Spring D4 Spring Fall Summer Research Program (UPSTART) Conduct of Research (DENT 698-9) Elective See description below Honors in Research Program Research Methods (DENT 647) See description below ** These courses can be taken in any order; however, this is the suggested sequence. Introduction to Research Research Training Research publications and presentations Hands-on Research DENT 647 COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will provide an in-depth description of fundamental research methods and their associated statistical analyses. Students will learn how research studies are designed, beginning with identifying a rationale for the research project, determining an appropriate research methodology for the study, assessing how data are collected and analyzed, and interpreting and communicating results. Students will learn to critically evaluate the published literature. The course format includes lectures and group discussions. Goals: A. To provide students with an understanding of how various research designs can address scientific questions. B. To familiarize students with potential pitfalls of various designs and practical difficulties that might arise when conducting research. C. To develop students’ understanding of how statistical analyses are used to describe and analyze data. DENT 698-9 The main objective of this elective is to permit exposure of dental students to research. This exposure may be a first time event or may be a continuation of previous research experiences. The participating students will be trained in design and successful implementation of a research project through a didactic summer seminar series and hands-on research in the Summer, Fall, or Spring Semester. Students can participate in this elective anytime during their sophomore (D2), junior (D3), or senior (D4) years with prior approval from the Course Coordinator; however, the elective credit will be posted only in the D4 year. Students can complete all requirements to obtain this elective credit prior to or during their D4 year.