Ten Commandments of Clinical Research

Stoller and Mireles-Cabodevila present the following ‘Ten Commandments of Clinical Research’:

1. If It Is Not There, You Can’t Use It
— you need the equipment and infrastructure

2. Everything Takes Longer Than You Think!
— research requires extensive preparations and deadlines must be kept: remember Hofstadter’s law.

3. Murphy’s Law Applies To Equipment: If It Can Break, It Will Break
— maintain equipment and have access to replacements.

4. The More Data You Generate, the Longer It Takes To Analyze It
— be judicious in setting the data goals!

5. Everyone Needs Help; It Takes a Village To Do Research
— establish a network of colleagues and mentors

6. No Recruitment, No Study
— You need to recruit patients in a relatively short period of time so that you get on with the rest of the work

7. Interest Always Wanes

8. You Can Always Say “No”
— don’t over-extend: “If you don’t use certain ‘two letter words’ enough (ie, ”no“), you’ll end up using certain ‘four-letter words’ a lot more.”

9. You Need Deadlines
— Deadlines maintain interest, help you identify pitfalls, and may prompt other ideas and projects

10. Turn Every Effort Into a Page
— Look for every opportunity to turn your work into a publication

Reference

• Mireles-Cabodevila E, Stoller JK. Research during fellowship: ten commandments. Chest. 2009 May; 135(5): 1395-9.
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