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Research Process

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Navigating the Research Process

NIMICT's List of Questions EVERY Researcher Should Think About Before Executing Research Projects

What is the neurological condition you are studying?

  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Autism
  • Brain injuries and trauma
  • Epilepsy
  • Huntington's disease
  • Migraine
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Stroke
  • Tremor

What is the funding source?

  • Industry
  • Federal
  • Internal
  • Unfunded/Internal
  • Other

What is the study design?

  • Best Evidence
  • Clinical trials
  • Cohort Studies
  • Case Control
  • Case series
  • Case study/case report
  • Observational
  • RCT

What is your patient population?

Sex/gender?

  • Male
  • Female
  • Both

Age groups?

  • Under 18 years
  • 18 to 44 years
  • 45 to 64 years
  • 65 years and over

Racial and ethnic groups?

  • American Indian or Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Black or African American
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  • White

Vulnerable populations?

  • Adults unable to consent
  • Individuals with HIV
  • Individuals who are not yet adults
  • Wards of the State
  • Pregnant women

What is the catchment area?

  • Urban
  • Suburban
  • Rural

What type of institution? Is it the same as the recruitment site(s)?

  • Academic Institution / Hospital
  • Non-Academic Institution / Hospital
  • Private Practice
  • Clinical Research Organization (CRO)
  • Other

Do you use the following resources as a part of your research plan to recruit participants?

  • CTSA
  • Institution communications department
  • Office of clinical trials
  • PR/advertising firm
  • Other

What is the PI and your institution's relationship with local community?

Do you conduct participant follow-up(s)?

What is the length of study?

What is your enrollment period?

  • Acute (24-48 hour period)
  • Secondary
  • Rehabilitation
  • Other

What is the time interval of follow-up(s)?

  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Annually
  • Other

What are your enrollment hours?

  • Weekdays (9am – 5pm)
  • Weekdays with weekend coverage
  • 24 hours a day/7 days a week

What is the method of follow-up(s)?

  • In-person
  • Phone calls
  • Emails
  • Home visits
  • Direct mailings
  • Other

How do you and your research team recruit potential participants?

  • Advertisements (television ads, radio ads, newspaper ads)
  • Direct mass communications (telephone, mail, email, newsletters)
  • General Public
  • ED/ER
  • In-direct mass communications (flyers, posters, brochures)
  • Patient registry
  • Physician Referral
  • Pre-existing database
  • Other

What type of services you provide in efforts to support trial participation?

  • Daycare services
  • Food
  • Memento(s)
  • Transportation
  • Travel Reimbursement
  • Compensation
  • Other

Does your research staff have the ability (e.g. translation services, translators, bilingual staff) to enroll non-English speaking patients?

All of these questions are critical to ask yourself and colleagues before you execute a research project

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