Under the patronage of the Dean of the College of Dentistry, Professor Dr. Ali Ismail Ibrahim
The College of Dentistry at the University of Baghdad organized a workshop entitled “Transforming Ideas into Research,” attended by a number of faculty members.
The workshop aimed to teach researchers how to transform initial ideas into feasible and publishable scientific research projects.
The workshop covered several key topics, including:
• Generating research ideas from experience and observation (regularities and anomalies).
• Steps for formulating a clear and precise research question.
• Training participants on refining research questions using criteria such as FINER (Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant) and PICOT (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time).
• Transforming research questions into measurable hypotheses and scientific objectives.
• The importance of pilot studies.
• Enhancing scientific writing skills and preparing manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals. • Understanding the peer review process and the requirements for scientific writing according to ICMJE standards.
The workshop recommended the following:
1. New researchers should have a mentor, as this plays a crucial role in guiding and refining their research ideas.
2. Thorough literature review is essential before formulating the research question to identify the actual knowledge gap.
3. The PICOT model should be adopted in clinical studies to formulate a clear and specific research question.
4. A pilot study should be conducted to test the protocol before commencing the full study.
