Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: July 23, 2016

Present:   Justine Dee, Nancy Gell, Juvena Hitt, Kairn Kelley, Adam Sprouse-Blum, Connie van Eeghen (by Skype)

Guest:      Michelle Delaney, friend of Kairn who is getting a master’s in counseling

1.                   Discussion: Kairn’s experience with doing a lit review.

a.       It’s a mental state as much as it’s a functional process.  And, it is a learning process more than it is an outcome.

b.      Don’t leap to writing the review (i.e., committing to a question or a structure) before you actually have a handle on the scope of the literature and some practice processing what you’re reading.

c.       CTS is an intersection of many disciplines; the literature does not provide answers, it produces a large number of gaps – some of which can be distracting and bogs down the process

e.      Strategies

                                                   i.      Matrix of ideas: every source is a column; every concept is a row (or vice versa)

1.       Categorize the concepts

2.       Identify the contradictions; set them aside unless they are barriers to the research

3.       Link the sources, so backtracking is easy

                                                 ii.      Tools:

1.       Zotero is an alternative to EndNote, which doesn’t work with all systems

2.       Use the note feature to attach structured, searchable notes. Use a template to capture:

a.       Question and Results

b.      Design

c.       Number of subjects

d.      Inclusion and Exclusion criteria

e.      *Measures*

f.        Constructs under study

3.       Make your own tags, don’t accept what Zotero offers

a.       This could be a good place to use capture some of the larger concepts (e.g., if the authors say their results give insight into “cognition” or “memory” or “language”)

4.       Journaling on obstacles – including psychological obstacles – to help break them down and continue working on the research

                                                iii.      Make it a social process – include another interested researcher in the process

1.       This is a conversation: what do you think you know about this topic

2.   DO WRITE and TALK about what you’re reading, early and often. In addition to getting insight from others' perspectives, interacting about the material is a way to practice different strategies for communicating (what sticks, what doesn't). As your understanding evolves you’ll need to practice saying your new ideas.   

f.        Everything we learned in “Designing Clinical Research” turned out to be very important, not only for designing the research but for structuring the information

g.       “Learning is about approaching the same material again and again, each time with more resources”

2.                   Plan for Next Semester: TBD

3.                   Next Workshop Meeting(s): Fridays, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., at Given Courtyard South Level 4 until end of Aug.   

a.       July 29: (no Ben) Nancy – registry of Clinical Trial sessions

b.      Aug 5: (no Kairn, Justine)

c.       Aug 12: Mike Lamantia’s draft editorial on functional decline in older adults after ED visit

d.      Aug 19: Marianne’s data cleaning process

Recorder: Connie van Eeghen, edited by Kairn Kelley