Dissertation/Project
Keywords |
Classification |
Keyword |
OFICIAL |
Medicine |
Instance: 2020/2021 - SP (of 14-09-2020 to 31-07-2021) ![Requerida a integração com o Moodle Ícone do Moodle](/fmup/pt/imagens/MoodleIcon)
Cycles of Study/Courses
Teaching language
Portuguese and english
Obs.: A dissertação poderá ser escrita em português ou em inglês.
Objectives
This curricular unit, based on specific knowledge and / or acquired over the Integrated Master Medicine Course, aims to give specific skills to develop a research project in an area of interest.
Learning outcomes and competences
At the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Review concepts about science and the scientific method
- Recognize the main areas of biomedical research: laboratory, clinical and in health services and translational
- Search for and use scientific information, by using information technology
- Identify the main methodologic issues of different study designs
- Collect, process and analyze data, using basic biostatistics concepts
- Develop the ability for analysis and synthesis
- Develop critical thinking and creativity while approaching the themes
- Develop skills for scientific writing and presentation of scientific results
- Demonstrate effective understanding of scientific integrity
- Recognize scientific misconduct and fraud
- Prepare a public presentation
- Develop presentation skills in public speaking
- Develop interpersonal skills with the Supervisor and Co-supervisor
Working method
B-learning
Program
The CU seminars discuss concepts of:
1. Critical Thinking. Scientific misconduct and fraud.
2. Search for and use of scientific information, definition of a research question, study design types, use of secondary data in health research.
3. Sampling methods, sample size calculation, data collection instruments, planning data collection
4. Ethical and legal aspects of clinical research: study submission to the Ethics Committee and to the responsible for data access, data privacy and security.
5. Systematic reviews and metanalysis.
6. Translational research T1 and T2.
7. Variables, descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing
8. Statistical modeling: linear and logistic regression, survival analysis
9 Interpretation and presentation of results.
10. Writing of an original scientific paper, peer review and editorial process.
11. Writing a dissertation; oral presentation of scientific results.
The student has to organize an individual work program, to be coordinated by the Supervisor with the support of the Co-Supervisors (optional). The completion and public discussion of the project may follow the following types:
- Dissertation: original research that includes gathering and analysis of primary or secondary data (including systematic reviews) that produces scientific knowledge. This type may apply to quantitative or qualitative research.
-Monograph: written work on a specific subject without systematic gathering and analysis of data such as non-systematic reviews or case reports.
The dissertation ou monograph should be produced following international recommendations as to the structure and writing of the study design.
Mandatory literature
Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, et al. ; The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: explanation and elaboration, Annals of internal medicine 151:W-65-W-94., 2009
Vandenbroucke JP, Von Elm E, Altman DG, et al; Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration, PLoS medicine 4:e297, 2007
Universidade do Porto; Carta de Direitos e deveres da comunidade académica da Universidade do Porto
Martinson BC, Anderson MS, de Vries R ; Scientists behaving badly. , Nature 435:737–8., 2005
Jacinto T, Morais A, Fonseca JA; How to write a scientific paper - Searching and Managing Biomedical information, Rev Port Pneumol. 2011;17(4):190-194, 2011
Stephen B. Hulley, Steven R. Cummings, Warren S. Browner, Deborah Grady Norman Hearst, Thomas B. Newman; Designing Clinical Research, 4th edition, Williams and Wilkins, 2013
Petrie A, Sabin C; Medical Statistics at a Glance, Blackwell Science Inc, 2005
Wasserstein RL et al. ; . ASA Statement on Statistical Significance and p-values, The American Statistician, 2016
Grant R. ; Data Visualization: Charts, Maps and Interactive Graphics, American Statistical Association/CRC Press, 2019
Azevedo LF, Canário-Almeida F, Fonseca JA, Costa-Pereira A, Winck JC, Hespanhol V; How to write a scientific paper – writing the methods section, Rev Port Pneumol, 2011;17(5):232-238, 2011
Complementary Bibliography
Higgins JPT, Green S. ; Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Version 5.1.0 , Cochrane , 2011
Sousa-Pinto B, Azevedo LF; Avaliação crítica de uma revisão sistemática e meta-análise, Rev Soc Port Anestesiol, 2019
Wasserstein RL et al. ; Moving to a World Beyond “p < 0.05”, The American Statistician, 2019
Teaching methods and learning activities
The student work has an individual character. Planning, contextualization, and development of the research project should be monitored by a supervisor chosen by the student.
Training in complementary skills is achieved through thematic seminars, available online, organized throughout the academic year.
Students’ guidance is provided through email and Moodle platform and in-person support on a fixed schedule or whenever requested.
Evaluation Type
Distributed evaluation with final exam
Assessment Components
Designation |
Weight (%) |
Defesa pública de dissertação, de relatório de projeto ou estágio, ou de tese |
30,00 |
Trabalho de campo |
17,50 |
Trabalho escrito |
45,00 |
Trabalho prático ou de projeto |
7,50 |
Total: |
100,00 |
Amount of time allocated to each course unit
Designation |
Time (hours) |
Elaboração de projeto |
63,00 |
Estudo autónomo |
157,00 |
Frequência das aulas |
23,00 |
Total: |
243,00 |
Eligibility for exams
Attending the seminars, writing the project and public presentation and discussion of results are mandatory. Publication of a scientific paper as a first or second author from this work and participation in a scientific project and team will be taken into account in the evaluation.
Calculation formula of final grade
The final classification depends on the type of work.
1) For dissertations:
- Written project report: 50% (100 points)
- Participation on a scientific team: 2,5% (5 points)
- Public presentation and discussion: 30% (60 points)
- Scientific publication (accepted paper) as 1st or 2nd author and with a publication date within the previous two years: 17.5%* (35 points)
* Maximum score corresponds to publication (or acceptance for publication) in a Web of Science-indexed journal with impact factor ranked on the three first quartiles of its technical-scientific area.
Publication in a Web of Science-indexed journal with impact factor ranked on the fourth quartile of its technical-scientific area will be awarded 20 points.
Publications in Scopus or MEDLINE/PubMed-indexed journals with no impact factor will be awarded 15 points.
Presentations in conferences or meetings will be awarded 5 points.
Other publications or presentations nor described will receive no points.
2) For monographs:
- Written project report: 45% (90 points)
- Public presentation and discussion: 30% (60 points)
- Scientific publication (or accepted paper) as 1st or 2nd author and with a publication date within the previous two years: 12.5%* (25 points)
** Maximum score corresponds to publication (or acceptance for publication) in a Web of Science-indexed journal with impact factor ranked on the three first quartiles of its technical-scientific area.
Publication in a Web of Science-indexed journal with impact factor ranked on the fourth quartile of its technical-scientific area will be awarded 15 points.
Publications in Scopus or MEDLINE/PubMed-indexed journals with no impact factor will be awarded 10 points.
Presentations in conferences or meetings will be awarded 5 points.
Other publications or presentations nor described will receive no points.
Classification improvement
Not applicable
Observations
Email: jfonseca@med.up.pt