Research and scholarly methods: Creating a research protocol

Abstract

Pharmacy students, residents, fellows, faculty, and other early career pharmacists often need support when preparing to engage in research for the first time. The purpose of this article is to describe a template for a pharmacy practice-based research proposal, that may be used by new researchers to help them plan their research project. The proposal begins with the proposed project title and a list of authors and is followed by the introduction section and methods section. The proposal ends with the budget, timeline, references, and appendices. Each section of the proposal outline is described in detail, and example wording is provided to help guide the proposal development.

Research and scholarly methods: Appraising the available literature to inform a research project

“…Using this approach can mitigate common pitfalls within the research planning process and ensure that researchers can design and conduct studies that make timely and beneficial impacts on practice. 13 • Understanding gaps in local practice patterns: Audit studies 52 and surveys 53 • Implementing an effective therapeutic intervention: Implementation studies 54 and pragmatic clinical trials 55 • Moving onto "Step 3": Creating a research protocol 32 3. Reporting guidelines: https://www.equator-network.org/…”

“…31 Useful guides exist to write a compelling research proposal and protocol adaptable to any research design Box 3. 32,33 Design-specific reporting guidelines and their accompanying checklists, most of which are found on the EQUATOR network site…”