Medical School DDP MED6960(Research Skills)

1

Jon WoodSITraN, 385a Glossop Road

j.d.wood1@shef.ac.uk

Mark ThomasI&I, L floor, RHH

m.s.thomas@shef.ac.uk

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/medicine/current/postgraduates/task/ddp

DDP MED6960 - Tutorial DatesTutorial 1• Thursday 8th May 2014• 11:00 – 12:00• LT3, F Floor, Medical School

Tutorial 2• Thursday 10th July 2014• 11:00 – 12:00• LT3, F Floor, Medical School

2

About DDP MED6960• Largely a non-taught module

– Generic skills (i.e. scientific presentation and record keeping)

– Subject specific training (seminars & lectures)

• Ensure you are gaining appropriate research skills and training– Research techniques– Health and safety– Recording and reporting

– Get credit for things you should be doing anyway3

DDP MED6960 content

• Oral Presentation (second tutorial) • Lab Book assessment• Training Log via an ePortfolio on Pebblepad• School Research Day

4

Lab book• Singly the most important item for anyone

doing research. KEEP IT SAFE!• Must use approved School of Medicine

lab book• You and your supervisor must sign every

page• A complete and detailed record of every

experiment you perform • Legal requirement – Intellectual property

rights – Patents - Plagiarism 5

What you record in a lab book?• Every experiment must have:• Title• Aims - what you are wanting to achieve?• Methods - how – all the detail! Show calculations so that

data can be checked• Results - record all results – positive and negative! Never

omit results because you think it has not worked. Show all data processing calculations. Blots. Final graphs. Record every detail even if you think it trivial (‘remarks’)

• Conclusions - what does the result mean and what will you do next? If it has not worked – why? What do your controls tell you?

6

Other information that goes in the lab book

• Summary of discussions, ideas, plans and meetings with research team/supervisor

• Notes on key literature you have read• Notes on equipment usage (and time if being

charged)• Order and batch numbers of chemicals and

antibodies• Reflections on the experiments• Don’t use scrap paper – use the lab book

7

Lab book - practicalities• Use the contents page • Refer back to commonly used methods – highlight

on contents page• Record any deviation from routine methods• Electronic data – on a CD or DVD and taped in.

Specific path for archived data on servers. Back it up!

• Could you follow your records 5 years later? Don’t assume you will remember!

• Could someone else follow your records?8

Lab book – practicalities 2 • A chronological record• Don’t leave blank spaces to go back and fill in later• Use cross-references

– e.g. “Experiment 2 – continued from Page 06”• Use permanent ink – ballpoint or fountain pen• Crossings out should leave the original text legible

– Single strike through errors & blank spaces– Sign and date any corrections

• Sign and date across any inserts e.g. figures, datasheets, etc.

9

Lab book Practicalities 3

• Filled in daily - each page signed and dated by you

• Checked and signed by your supervisor at the very minimum every 2 weeks

• Completed lab books must be logged with the School when you leave

10

Lab book assessments• We will check it is signed on every page by

you and your supervisor • We will check the contents page• We will check you have followed the

structure• We will check you are recording sufficient

detail and it is legible• We will defer or fail you if you have not

complied with any of the above! 11

If you are not doing a lab-based project

• Use the same lab book• Apply as a daily journal of your research• Include patient contact and recruitment to

trials (maintain confidentiality)• Sample collection and data analysis• Mathematical modelling & theorising• Flexible content to the subject area • Must be signed off in the same way 12

Training Log - Your ePortfolioDesigned to keep a formal record of:• Safety training, OOH etc.• Risk assessments/Home Office licences• Laboratory skills• Conference/course attendance• Lectures attended• Registration certificates/DDP modules• Supervisor/mentor meetings

13

Training Log on Pebblepad+ • Part of your ePortfolio in PebblePad+• Everyone has a PebblePad account

(www.pebblepad.co.uk/sheffield) • Your Novell login will let you in (covered on PIC)• Update your ePortfolio regularly

14

Pebblepad +• Record training events as ‘assets’• Can be entered as an ‘activity’, ‘experience’

or ‘meeting’ • ‘Reflection’ for Ethics DDP• ‘Talent’ > ‘ability’ for new technique• Pulls everything together in one place that

you can’t lose, forget or damage• Single reference point for your training

status15

16

17

18

Categorising your assets with ‘tags’

• Health and safety• Lectures and seminars• Conferences and meetings• Techniques and equipment usage• Supervisor report forms• DDP modules• Other

19

Training log – Health & safety• Departmental Safety Course• Fire lectures• Radiation Safety Course• Animal experiment licence• Biological safety (GM risk assessment)• Out of hours course• First aid• Lab specific health and safety

20

21

Training log – Health & safety 2

• Create ‘experience’ asset describing training

• Upload scanned signed risk assessment or training document

• Link the two

Training log – Lectures and seminars

• Training days • Internal seminars/lectures• External seminars/lectures• Professional skills e.g. good clinical practice

22

Training log – Conferences and meetings

• National Conferences (e.g. UK Renal Association)• International conferences (e.g. American Society of

Nephrology)• Specialist meetings in Sheffield or elsewhere (e.g.

UK Peritoneal Dialysis Research Group) • Visits to fellow academics at other institutions

23

Training log – Techniques and equipment usage

• Training on equipment usage. Core facility, departmental & group equipment.

• Significant techniques (e.g. PCR, cell culture)

• In silico modelling• Clinical techniques e.g. phlebotomy

24

Training log – Supervisor report forms

• Enter as a ‘meeting asset’→ ‘experience’ > ‘meeting’

• Scan and attach pdf of the signed meeting form before sending to PGR secretaries

→ ‘file’• Link uploaded document to asset by highlighting text

in ‘about this meeting’ and click on ‘asset link’ icon• Alternatively enter as an ‘experience asset’ and use

‘add evidence’ to upload scanned form.25

Training log -DDP modules

• Record each DDP attended as an ‘experience’ asset

• Only completed DDPs• Can attach course material

26

Training log example

27

28

Tag your asset

29‘Tag’ button

create tags here

ePortfolioCan be used as a place to keep other important items associated with your study• TNA (update annually)• Development Plan (update annually)• Record of academic achievement• Record of work experience• Record of any other significant experience• Can be printed as pdf when you leave

30

Making your training log accessible

• ‘Asset store’ ( )• Highlight assets

→ ‘share’ (PG supervisors)• Create webfolio

→ ‘submit’ to ‘DDP for the Medical School’ workspace (PG tutors)

31

32

Your TNA and ePortfolio need to be submitted to a ‘workspace’.This is so your Department tutor/lead and administrator have access to view your work.

Step 1: In each asset in the top right hand corner there is an icon with an arrow pointing down. Click on the arrow and then on the menu that appears, click 'Submit'.

Step 2: A box will appear to the right which will read 'DDP (and your department name'), highlight this and then click 'Submit'. A message will appear, click 'yes'. Another box will appear with a list of assignments. Select the correct assignment for the work you are submitting. Then click 'submit' and then 'agree' to the next message.

Step 3: Your work has now been sent to the workspace. When you update anything you have submitted to a workspace it will automatically update in the workspace. Therefore there is no need for you to submit this piece of work again to the workspace.

Note: For your ePortfolio you should only submit the webfolio not each individual asset.

Making your training log accessible

Problems using PebblePad:

DOCTORAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMEPebblePad User Guide

http://www.shef.ac.uk/faculty/medicine-dentistry-health/graduateschool/currentpg/pebblepad

Step by Step Guide to logging your training and developmental activities and creating your ePortfolio &

Training Needs Analysis33

Training log -School Research Day

• 16-17 June 2014• Compulsory to attend to pass MED6960• Attendance Certificate• Training log entry as a ‘meeting’ and

upload attendance certificate• Training log will not be approved without

Research Day attendance

34

Marking Training log and Lab Book

• Intermediate assessment 12th June 2014• Final assessment 1st August 2014• Marked by Dr Mark Thomas or Dr Jon Wood• 10 min. formal meeting• Compulsory!!

35

Key Dates• Tutorials:

– Thursday 8th May 2014, 11:00-12:00 (LT3)– Thursday 10th July 2014, 11:00-12:00 (LT3)

• ePortfolio deadlines:– Monday 9th June 2014– Tuesday 29th July 2014

• Assessments:– Thursday 12th June 2014 (SR6)– Friday 1st August 2014 (SR6)

• Oral Presentations:– Thursday 4th September 2014 (LT3)

36