BMJ, UCSF team up to provide self-study online modules for healthcare researchers

BMJ, a global healthcare knowledge provider, has joined forces with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a world leader in biomedical research, to provide self-study online modules for doctors and healthcare researchers to develop their research skills and become published authors.

Research to Publication is an e-learning programme for doctors, researchers and students everywhere. It will be of particular interest to early career researchers and to institutions in developing countries seeking to build their research capacity.

More than simply a course on "how to write a paper", Research to Publication draws on the expertise of The BMJ's research editors, and UCSF's researchers and educators, and guides learners all the way from designing a study, to seeing it published successfully.

The comprehensive range of 48 online modules are focused entirely on clinical and public health research, and will be launched fully by March 2016.

All modules are taught through a combination of narrated slides, videos and exercises. A UCSF/BMJ certificate of completion will be issued to each learner who completes a module. They will also be invited to submit study protocols to the international online journal BMJ Open.

Dr Trish Groves, deputy editor and head of research at The BMJ, and editor in chief of BMJ Open, says: "We are delighted to partner with UCSF to provide a range of essential training modules for academics, doctors and students to develop their skills on how to devise good research questions, design better studies and communicate their work to the world."

"The online modules will empower researchers, particularly those in early stages of their career or from emerging countries, who often face hurdles when trying to conduct research projects and publish in high impact journals. By doing better research and publishing in the best possible journals, they can ultimately deliver better healthcare," she adds.

Professor Deborah Grady, Co-director of the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research at UCSF, comments: "The UCSF/BMJ online learning collaboration aligns with UCSF's commitment as a public university to advance health worldwide. We are excited to make quality clinical research training accessible to researchers across the globe, particularly those from developing countries and those serving underserved populations."