4/14/2010

PLANNINGYOURPHD:A
ROADMAPFORSUCCESS

ColinBinns,MiKyungLee&WahYun
LowWritingandPublishingAPublic
HealthResearchPaper(2009)ISBN:
9789831004838.
Publisher:UniversityofMalayaPress
Website:http://umpress.um.edu.my

ColinBinns
C
li Bi
April2010

TimeisoftheEssence
www.nhmrc.gov.au
Guidelines
Nutrition

Timetable
MaketimetoplanyourPhD itwillsaveyou
timeinthelongrun.
Allocate6months
6monthsoutofyourthreeyearsto
p
plananddothepreliminaryworkonyour
p
y
y
PhD.
Itsworththisamountoftimeandifyouplan
adequatelyyourPhDwillproceedsmoothly

Timetable ProjectChart
Steadyrateofwork
Dontgohometoosoon(especiallyduring
write up)
writeup)
Interruptionsalwaystakedoubleortriple
time somakeallowances
Plantofinishwithin3years

Enquiry discuss with

supervisor

Application: 2 page proposal

Roadmap (10 pages)
Formal application.
Acceptance by School
Begin

Roadmap preparation
6 months

Ethics Application

Questionnaires
Information Sheet
Consent forms
Etc must accompany
ethics application

Roadmap approval
Revise Roadmap if needed

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DevelopingResearchQuestions
(Aim,objectives)
Brainstorm
Computer(eg.Wordoutline)
Yellow Sticky Papers
YellowStickyPapers
Literaturesearch
Discussionswithcolleaguesand
supervisor
Usually610researchquestions
Alternative stateasanullhypothesis

Choosingatopic
Berealistic
Choosesomethingyoucando(Doable)
Bewaretheblackdog

Withinyourbudget
Withintime
Interesttoyou
InteresttoyourSchool
Interesttoyourcountry
Useyourcontacts eg formerstudentscanbe
surveyed.

Developmentofyourtopic
Topic
Research
Questions
Discuss with
supervisor
Research
Questions
Develop
methodology

Choosingatopic
Selectanareaofinteresttoyou
Literaturesearch
Findakeypaper(EndNote)
Readfulltext
FollowupinScienceCitations
Whatquestionsremaintobeanswered
Isitjustifiabletorepeattheresearchinyourown
country?
DiscusswithpotentialsupervisororSchoolAdvisor
Refinethedetailsofyourtopic

Keystosuccess
Goodtopic(interesting)
Goodsupervisor(checkpublications)
Writepapers practice
Present seminars conferences etc
Presentseminars,conferencesetc
Learntouse:
EndNote
ScienceCitations(WebofKnowledge)

OutlineofRoadmap
Abstract,keywords
Introduction
Background(LiteratureReview)
Objectives(researchquestions)
Significanceofthestudy
ResearchMethod,Samplesize,PowerCalculations
,
p
,
EthicalIssues,DataStorage
Budget,Facilities,Resources,Justification
Timeline
Paperstobepreparedand/orpresented
References(notincludedin10pages)
Limitto10pages itforcesyoutothinkaboutwhatis
reallyimportant

4/14/2010

Abstract

Title
Accuratelydescribetheresearchproblem.
Topic(eg Breastfeeding
Method (eg Cohortstudy
Method(eg
Cohort study
Definescope(eg inXinjiang)

Belessthan20words
Shouldnotneedtobechangedduringyour
PhD

Abstract:ahalfpageexplanationoftheresearch
inplainEnglish.
Theabstractisimportantasitisfrequentlyusedin
Universitydatabasesandinpressreleases.
Writeyourabstractaftercompletingyour
b
f
l
roadmap.
Must:
Accuratelyreflectstheresearchproject.
Notcontainanynewinformationnotinthe
protocol.

ResearchProtocolOutline(candidacy)

LiteratureReview(24pages)
Introduction(1para)
Introducethetopic
Whythetopicisimportant
Historyofthisproblem
Definitions defineexactlywhatyouwill
measure
Usestandarddefinitions(eg WHO)
(Donotchangewithoutverygood
reason)

LiteratureReview
Always search using EndNote
Select a really good article
Do another search on its key words
Follow up in Web of Knowledge (Science
Citations)
Download citations into your EndNote file
Most databases can be downloaded directly
into EndNote
Never cite a reference without reading full
article
Save paper no need to print.

Historyofthisproblem
Otherstudiesandresults
Whatweknowanddontknow
Useacriticalandanalytical
approach(criticalreview)
(Nospacefortablesofpapers
keepthatforthefullthesis)

Towriteyourliteraturereview
Selectabout20keyreferences.
Putintheeffortasthiscanbeexpandedintoyourthesis
literaturereview(orwriteareviewpaper)
Remembertobeanalyticalinyourapproach
SuggestedApproachtoLiteratureReview
12keyreviewsasgeneralintroduction
Severalclassicarticles
l l
l
Thebestoriginalstudies,Curtinstudies
Themostrecentstudies
Articlesoutliningthegapsinourknowledge
(whichyourthesisjusthappenstofill)
Methodologyarticles(theoldmethodsandthereasons
forselectingyourmethod)

4/14/2010

Towriteyourliteraturereviewcont.
Rememberthatinthe4pagesyoumustaddressallofthe
researchquestionsyouhaveproposedforyourPhD

Aim:

To document breastfeeding in Shihezi, including

problems, and supportive and negative factors.

Aim:
Toidentifythedeterminantsofvegetableandfruitconsumptionin
primaryschoolagedchildreninPerth,WesternAustraliaand
developaninterventiontopromoteincreasedconsumption.
Objectives:
1.Toreviewtheuseofevidence(epidemiological,empiricaland
theoretical)inhealthpromotionprogramsaimedatincreasing
vegetableandfruitconsumptionofchildreninWesternAustralia.
2.Toanalysechangesinattitudesandknowledgeinchildrenand
parentsduringthedevelopmentandimplementationoftheWestern
AustralianChildren'sVegetableandfruitcampaign1995to2000.
3.Toundertaketheformativeevaluationrequiredtodevelopan
interventiontoincreasevegetableandfruitconsumptionofprimary
schoolagedchildreninWA.

Aim,Objectivesand/orResearchQuestions
(0.51page)
Objectives:mustbeaclearlydefined
statementoftheobjectivesoftheresearch.
t t
t f th bj ti
f th
h
Researchquestions(orcanbestatedas
hypotheses)

Research questions
1. What is the prevalence and duration of breastfeeding and
exclusive breastfeeding in Shihezi?
2. What are the factors determining the initiation and the
duration of breastfeeding in Shihezi?
3. Mothers knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding?
4. The prevalence of problems with breastfeeding and
constraints to exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of
life in Shihezi?
5. The age at which complementary feeding is introduced in
the infants of Shihezi?
6. What are the differences in breastfeeding between Han
Chinese and the minority groups.
7. How does the public perceive breastfeeding.

Specificresearchquestions:
1.Whatchangeshaveoccurredinchildren'sfoodconsumption
patternsinWA?
2.Whatchangeshaveoccurredinfruitandvegetable
consumption?
3.Whatchangeshaveoccurredinattitudestowardsfruitand
vegetable?
4.Whichpromotionstrategies/modelshavebeenmostsuccessful?
5.WhichmodelsbestexplainthechangesseeninWA?
6.WhichmodelwouldbebestusedforHealthPromotion campaigns
inthefuture?

4/14/2010

Significance
Thisstudyoffactorsthatinfluenceoftheutilisationofmaternity
servicesandbreastfeedingpracticesissignificantforthe
followingreasons:

Firstly,theresearchwillprovideupdatedknowledgeabout
childbirthandbreastfeedingpracticesinruralareasofVietnam,
includingunderstandingabouttheinfluenceofsocial,cultural,
psychologicalandeconomicfactorsonmaternalandchildhealth
p
practiceinVietnam.

Secondlytheresearchwillexploretheroleof
husbands/menandcloserelativesinchildbirthandbreastfeeding,
becausemoststudiesonmaternalandchildhealthhave
concentratedonwomenasthesoletargetgroup.Theresearch
thereforebringsoutamorecomprehensiveviewonchildbirth
andbreastfeedingtakingintoconsiderationgendersensitivity.

Significancecont.

Thirdly,studiesonperceptionstowardsqualityofmaternity
servicesandwillingnesstopaytoalternativeservicesarevery
rareinpublishedliterature,especiallyinthedevelopingcountry
context.Inthisstudyquantitativeexaminationofwillingnessto
payandlayperceptionsofqualityofcarewillbeusedforthefirst
timeinVietnaminstudiesofmaternalcare.

Finally,theresearchwillprovideevidencebased
g
p y
recommendationstohealthmanagersandpolicymakersto
improvematernityservicesandbreastfeedingpracticesin
Vietnam.

Methods24pages
Typeofstudy.Stateclearly,egcasecontrol.
Informationtobecollected:fromwhom,by
whom,where,when.
Standardmethods(articlesfromliteraturereview)
Evidencethattheyworkandwillprovidethedata
thatyouneedtoansweryourresearchquestions(
validity reproducible etc)
validity,reproducibleetc)
Questionnaires,
Howmany
Source,copyright?Restricted?(egpsychologist)
Validation
Translation,backtranslation,culturalrelevance

Methods24pages

Methods24pages

FinalCheck
Makesurethatthemethodswillanswereachofyourresearch
questions.

Communicationwithsubjects
Informationsheets
Lettersofinvitation
Informedconsentetc

Howwillyoukeepintouchwithyoursubjects?
How
will you keep in touch with your subjects?
(egadditionalmobilephonenumbers,relatives)
Samplesizecalculations.Powercalculations.

Softwareforsamplesizecalculation
EpiInfo Statcalcsubprogram downloadfree

4/14/2010

DataPreparationandanalysis(0.5pages)
Programstobeused:
Toenterandcleandata
Analyse data
Prepareforpresentation(eg graphing)
Examples of specific statistical procedures
Examplesofspecificstatisticalprocedures
Useasfewprogramsasmeetyourneedsandlearnthemwell.
(eg MicrosoftOffice handlinglargedocuments,indexesetc)

THEOUTPUTMAP
Research Measurement Analysis
Question
BFrate
BF
rate
rates

Outcome

Questionnaires KMeier
K Meier
BF
BF
tomothers
Survival (ConfInt)

DataPreparationandanalysis(continued)

Howwilleachresearchquestionbeaddressedwithyourdata
Eg BreastfeedingratesinShihezi
Anyandexclusivebreastfeedingrateswillbe
calculatedusingKaplanMeierSurvivalAnalysis(SPSS)

Toaddresseachobjectiveofthisstudy:
Descriptivestatisticswillbeusedtodeterminetheinitiationrateof
breastfeedingbeforedischargefromhospitalsandtheprevalenceofany
breastfeedingandexclusivebreastfeedingupto6monthspostpartum;
survivalanalysiswillbeusedtoexaminethedurationofanybreastfeedingand
exclusivebreastfeeding(1st objective).
Logisticregressionanalysiswillbeemployedtodeterminefactorsassociated
withearlyintroductionofcomplementaryfoods(2nd objective).
Descriptivestatisticswillbeusedtoinvestigatemothersmainsourcesof
i f
informationaboutcomplementaryfoodsintroductionandattitudestotheiruse
ti
b t
l
t
f d i t d ti
d ttit d t th i
toaddressthethirdandfourthobjectiverespectively.(3rd and4th objectives).
Theincidenceofbreastfeedingproblems(e.g.mastitis,perceivedinsufficient
milksupply)mothersexperiencewithin6monthspostpartumwillbe
determinedbydescriptivestatistics(5th objective).
Theeffectsofbreastfeedingproblemsoninfantfeedingpracticeswillbe
exploredusinglogisticregressionmodels(6th objective).

Budgetandjustification(0.5pages)
Timetable(projecttable)(0.51pages)
Budget
Printingquestionnaires$1000
Telephonecalls$1000
Travel $2000
Other
Other
$1000

CheckyourbudgetwithyoursupervisorandtheHeadofSchool.
Predictyourbudgetaccurately blowoutinyourbudgetmay
leadtoanincompleteproject(failure!)

2007July Dec,Literaturereview(AtCurtinUniversity)
Jan Mar.2008FieldWork.Finaldevelopmentof
questionnairesandpretest.
April2008 April2009.Recruitmentofsampleand
followup
May.2009Completionoffollowup
June2009 Sept.2009Analysisofdata
2009Dec.Completionofthesis(AtCurtinUniversity)
Oftenmoredetailedthanthis.(canuseExcelorother
graphicalpresentation).Usethistocheckprogresswith
supervisor

4/14/2010

Time frame
Year
Month
2006 May
May-September
SeptemberDecember
2007 January- October
December-October
2008 November

Timetable
Action
Ethics Approval
Testing of a questionnaire, Analysis of PIFS I
and II
Annual Progress Report
Distribution of the questionnaire in and
Data entry and analysis, Annual Progress Report,
Writing
i i up findings
fi di
Ongoing data analysis, Writing up findings
Submission of thesis*

Ethics:(0.5pages)
Ethicsapplication.Thismustbesubmittedconcurrently
withdevelopingyourroadmapasapprovalmaytake
severalmonths.Includeinformationsheetandconsent
form.
Completethelatestversionoftheethicsform
Include
Confidentiality
Consent
Noharm
Specialgroupsegchildren,indigenous
Storageofdata(sevenyearssecure. ?forever)

Paperstobesubmitted:Alcohol,smokingandbreastfeeding
1.
2.
3.
4.
4
5.
6.
7.
8.

LiteratureReview.Alcoholandlactation:asystematicreview
Alcohol,pregnancyandbreastfeeding;ananalysisofthe
1995and2001NationalHealthSurveydata
AlcoholandbreastfeedinginAustralia.WhatareAustralian
mothersdoing?PIFSII
Alcohol consumption (frequency)
Alcoholconsumption(frequency)
Qualitativepaperonfocusgroups
Whichwomensmokebefore,duringandafterpregnancy?
Smokingduringpregnancyandbreastfeedingduration
Whichwomenstopsmokingduringpregnancyandtheeffect
onbreastfeedingduration

Mar. 2006 May.

2006
Jun. 2006 Jul.
2006
Aug. 2006 Sep.
2006
Oct. 2006 Jul.
2007
Aug. 2007 Jane
2008
Feb. 2008 Jul.
2008

Clearance from ethics

committee
Designing questionnaire
Pre-test questionnaire in
Guangzhou
Data collection
Data analysis
Paper
publication/Thesis
preparation /write up

Paperstobesubmitted:
1. Literaturereview(Year12)
2. Methodologyreview(Year12)if
somethingdifferent,ordifficultissues
3. Results1(Year3)
4. Results2(Year3)
5. Results3(Year3)
6. Newreview

References:
Canbeextra(ie morethanthe10pagelimit)
Makessuretheyareaccurate
Referencecorrectly(EndNote isfailsafe)
UsetheVancouversystemtosavespace.(butnotforyour
thesis)

4/14/2010

GettingethicsapprovalforyourPhD

ApplyasearlyinyourPhDasyoucan
(requires protocol questionnaires etc)
(requiresprotocol,questionnairesetc)
Donotstartcollectingdatabeforeyouhave
approval:
Youwillberequiredtodestroyyourdata
Youmaybeexpelledfromtheuniversity
Yoursupervisormaybederegistered

SourcesofinformationonEthics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

CurtinUniversityEthicsstatements
NHMRCguide
PrivacyLegislation(2002)
Internationalcodes(eg Helsinki)
BioethicsseriesinBMJ

NHMRC:principles:
Integrity, respect for persons, beneficence and
justice
Commitment to the search for knowledge, to
recognised principles of research conduct and in
the
h honest
h
and
d ethical
h l conduct
d
off research
h and
d
dissemination and communication of results

Ethics:
CurtinHumanResearchEthicsCommittee
Othercommittees(egHospitals,CHIC,
Indigenous)
Increasingimportance
Candelayyourproject
Precludepublication
Canfailyourthesis
Havechangedconsiderably justbecauseit
wasdone2030yearsagodoesntmeanitcan
bedonenow.

Youmustread:
NHMRCEthicsChapters
HelsinkiDeclaration
BeforeyouprepareyourRoadMap

NHMRC:principles:
Integrity, respect for persons, beneficence and
justice
the guiding ethical principle for researchers is
respect for persons which is expressed as regard
f
for
the
h welfare,
lf
rights,
h
b l f perceptions,
beliefs,
customs and cultural heritage, both individual
and collective, of persons involved in research

4/14/2010

NHMRC:principles:
Integrity, respect for persons, beneficence and
justice
minimise risks of harm or discomfort to
participants in research projects.

NHMRC:principles:
Integrity, respect for persons, beneficence and
justice
respect for the dignity and well being of the
participants takes precedence over the
expected
d benefits
b
f to knowledge
k
l d

First do no harm Hippocrates

NHMRC:principles:
Integrity, respect for persons, beneficence and
justice
balance of burdens and benefits. Accordingly,
a researcher must:
(a) avoid imposing on particular groups, ( over
researched)
(b) selection, recruitment, exclusion and
inclusion of research participants is fair;
and
(c) not discriminate in selection (race, age, sex,
disability or religion etc)

NHMRC:principles:
CONSENT:
1. informationaboutthepurpose,methods,
demands,risks,inconveniences,
discomforts,andpossibleoutcomes
2 voluntary choice to participate
2.
3. freeatanytimetowithdrawconsent with
noinfluenceonfurthertreatment

NHMRC:principles:
Confidentialityofinformation
Also consider
Research merit and overall safety

Storage
Where?
Howlong?
Whohasaccess?
Publicationofinformation(aggregated
statisticalinformationonlywithoutany
individualidentification)

4/14/2010

Ethicsapproval
Youneedtosubmitthefollowingbeforeyou
willgetethicsapproval:
Protocol
Questionnaires
Subjectsinformationsheet
Consentforms
Anyotherlettersyouwillwrite(eg tohospitals)
(getsmoreandmorecomplicated)
Approvals supervisor,Schooletc

Ethics Changes
Onceyouhavegainedapprovalyou
havetonotifytheethicsoffice
(throughyoursupervisor)aboutany
changes to your project
changestoyourproject.
Approvalisgivenforoneyearand
youhavetoapplyforrenewalevery
year.

Examinersareeverything
HowtoFailyourPhD

Makethemhappy:
Wellsetoutthesis
Index
Numberpages,tablesetcaccurately
Easy to read
Easytoread
Nospellingerrors
References
Harvard,(AuthorDate)
Accurateanduptodate(2010)
Graphs
Tables

General

General

Layout(uniformstyle,eg tables)
UseSpellandGrammarCheck
Accuracyofreferences
ReadText(andsomeoneelsetoo)
R dT t( d
l t )
Watchtheintroduction &conclusion
Beginningofallchaptersand
paragraphs

Checknumbers(<10text)
Toomanydecimalplacessuggestsyou
dontknowaboutaccuracy

10

4/14/2010

Writing
Thinkofyourexaminers(2external)
Generallytheywillbeexpertsinthefield but
maynotknowanythingaboutyourcountry
orthespecificissues.Thereforesetthe
scene in the introduction
sceneintheintroduction.

Writing
Dontwastethekeypositions:
Firstandlastrule
Themidnightrule
Thegirlfriendrule
RememberthelessonsofSpeedReading
Eachchapterneeds:
Beginning
Middle
End

Writing
Avoidslang,flowerywriting
spectacularresults
verymuchgreaterthanexpected
Scientificwritingisprecise,accurate (itcan
also be interesting butnotnecessary)
alsobeinteresting
but not necessary)
Carewithprepositions
the
a
ofoninforto
Extracarewithhoweverbutmaybeetc

Writing
Abbreviationscanreallyannoy(SNF)
Avoidunnecessarycapitalisation
American Englishspellers
G
Grammarchecker
h k
worthusing
h i
Essentialtools:dictionary,thesaurus(thosein
Wordarenotreallyadequate)

Writing

Writing

Writing:Doyourbesttomakeiteasyforthe
examinertopassyou(eg layoutspelling)
Length 200pages(toolongandhe/shewill
fallasleepandforgettotickthepassbox.
Titles of Tables
TitlesofTables
SizeofTables(dontgooverpages)

Evenifyouarenotsubmittingathesisby
papers,writingpapersorconference
presentationshelpclarifyyourworkandwill
giveyoualotofusefulfeedback.
y
Presentasoftenasyoucan
Postersaregoodpractice

11

4/14/2010

Results
Include all levels of analysis:
Start with descriptive analysis of the sample
Response rate
Descriptive results
Univariate
Multivariate models

Results
One picture for each 3-4 pages
Make sure data in tables, graphs and text is
exactly the same
Make sure data in tables adds up
Same title and number in text and on table
Always include CI, p values etc.

Remember your research questions all of the time

GraphsandTables
CheckTitles ofGraphsandTables
(Mustmeansomething:accuratedescribethe
table scissorstest)
Check axes scales and legend
Checkaxes,scalesandlegend
WatchOutliers(dontignorethem)
Numberconsecutivelyorbychapter be
consistent
Makesurenumbersintablesarethesameas
inthetext.

Statistics
Whenwritingup:
Besuretostateexactlywhatissignificant
Whichwaytheeffectacts
Which factors have been included in models
Whichfactorshavebeenincludedinmodels
andwhy.(remembertothinkwhendoing
yourstatistics)

Tables
Tableslargerthanonepagegointo
Appendix.
Very large tables can be confusing think
Verylargetablescanbeconfusing
think
aboutsplittingintosmallerones.

Discussion
Discuss sample and response rates
Does your sample allow for generalisation?
Comparisons with population
Highlight important results but dont just repeat th
previous chapter
How do your results relate to those in the literature
Agree
Disagree
Discuss unusual results
How does your study add to our knowledge?
Limitations of your study (not too many)
Remember your research questions

12

4/14/2010

Conclusion
Be brief in your review of your research questions
How does your study add to our knowledge?
What additional research is needed?

Fatalerrors
FatalErrors:
Lackofethicsapproval
Discrepancybetweenresearchquestionsand
results
Forgeddata
Plagiarism
(Bewareofcopyrightandplagiarism:itwill
costyouyourPhD)
Ignoringyoursupervisor(canbe)
Stopping!

Careforyourdata
Backup
Backup
Backup
Backup
Backup
Backup
Backup
Surpriseyourgrandmother:Visit
herregularly

Do a final spell check and grammar check.

(this may pick up any abbreviations not
yet listed)
Nothing is worse than a thesis with spelling
mistakes!

HowtoFailyourPhDorMasters:
TheGoodNewsisyouprobably
wont.
Somejusttakealittlelonger!
Some just take a little longer!

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