Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2017 Dec, Vol-11(12): JC07-JC11 7 7 DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2017/29318.10972 Original Article Education Section Aptitude of Medical Research in Undergraduate Students of a Medical University - Miles to go Before we Sow INTRODUCTION Research is a systematic investigation which includes, research development, hypothesis testing and evaluation, that contributes to generalisable knowledge. Research can be categorized into different forms like biomedical research, epidemiological studies, and health services research. It also encompasses the behavioural, social, and economic factors that affect health [1]. Clinical research is essential as it applies itself directly into the human condition and thus, brings about rapid change in the practice of medicine. The bulk advancements in technology are enabling transformation in health research information that can be exchanged with much ease. With resources like these, it is expected that a health care professional be skilled enough to apply findings from clinical research so as to adopt the best available interventions to improve health and health care for individuals and populations. According to a scientometric analysis, India contributes to 28% of the world′s total years lost to respiratory infections, 25% of the years lost to tuberculosis, 24% of the years lost to diarrhoeal diseases, and 45% of the years lost to leprosy. In addition, 2.5 million people in India are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) [2]. Being a country that shoulders a large amount of diseases in the world [3], India spends only 0.82% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on research and development compared to a 2.69% by the United States of America, 2.87% by Germany and a total of 3.34% by Japan - a country with less GDP growth than India [4]. If a comparison is done between the number of papers published in internationally recognized journals, India has a total of 293,049 papers between 1999-2008 whereas, developed countries like USA has 3,049,662, Germany has 265,134 and Japan has 771,548 papers published [2]. Just as the economic indices indicate the financial status of a country, the statistics on scientific publications indicate the academic temper. Amongst the medical institutions in India, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi produces the maximum publications followed by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh and Christian Medical College, Vellore. This is in contrast to the 332 of the total 572 medical colleges in India that have not produced any paper [5]. Aptitude for medical research will have more of an impact if developed at an earlier stage. Building skills in scientific reasoning and critical thinking among the medical students is an important part of this profession. Medical research at undergraduate level can help the students hone their skills and thereby, inculcate the habit of enquiry irrespective of whether the participants ultimately engage in community practice, become clinicians or full time researchers. The purpose is to enhance the medical knowledge and apply it to patient care. India will have to develop a strong base for clinical research. This can be done by inculcating medical research into the curriculum at the undergraduate level. Fair number of undergraduate students have shown research interest and aptitude. The popularity of the Short Term Studentship (STS) program of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has proven it time and again. Any undergraduate starting from the first semester of MBBS can apply for the research; they select a topic and a guide; make a synopsis of the project and submit it to ICMR. Then the ICMR, after scrutiny, selects the projects and the SIMRAN KAUR BAINS 1 , PREETHA JOHN 2 , DHANUSHREE NAIR 3 , SOURYA ACHARYA 4 , SAMARTH SHUKLA 5 , NEEMA ACHARYA 6 Keywords: Academic, Barriers, Curriculum, Incentives, Opportunities ABSTRACT Introduction: In the era of modern medicine, research is a fundamental tool to study the natural behaviour of diseases and evidence based management of patients. Excluding a few developed countries, research is still a neglected field. India, being one of the most populated countries, is still behind when it comes to producing and publishing standard medical research publications. Aim: To evaluate the aptitude of research in undergraduate students of a medical university. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done with a validated questionnaire containing 12 objective questions to evaluate the current scenario of research amongst undergraduate students. The questionnaire was validated by the School for Health Professionals Education and Research (SHPER) of the university. It was distributed among 510 students from the dental and medical colleges of the Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, Maharashtra, India. The feedback data was collected and analysed using descriptive statistical analysis. Results: From the medical and dental colleges of the university, 510 students were surveyed. Four hundred and twenty students (82.35%) were aware of clinical research, out of which only 99 students (19.41%), actually participated in research. Thirteen students (13.13%) participated in research to better their chances of career abroad. Hectic schedule was seen as the foremost hindrance amongst 227 students (55.23%). Around 398 students (78.03%) sense research to be an important part of the curriculum. Around 430 students (84.31%) think that research should be taught as a part of the curriculum and 253 students (49.60%) wanted to pursue research as a career. Conclusion: Change can be brought about in the present scenario of contribution to research by undergraduate students from India on a global scale by making research a part of the curriculum and providing incentives to students.