Ten Commandments of Clinical Research

Stoller and Mireles-Cabodevila present the following ‘Ten Commandments of Clinical Research’:

If It Is Not There, You Can’t Use It
— you need the equipment and infrastructure

Everything Takes Longer Than You Think!
— research requires extensive preparations and deadlines must be kept: remember Hofstadter’s law.

Murphy’s Law Applies To Equipment: If It Can Break, It Will Break
— maintain equipment and have access to replacements.

The More Data You Generate, the Longer It Takes To Analyze It
— be judicious in setting the data goals!

Everyone Needs Help; It Takes a Village To Do Research
— establish a network of colleagues and mentors

No Recruitment, No Study
— You need to recruit patients in a relatively short period of time so that you get on with the rest of the work

Interest Always Wanes

You Can Always Say “No”
— don’t over-extend: “If you don’t use certain ‘two letter words’ enough (ie, ”no“), you’ll end up using certain ‘four-letter words’ a lot more.”

You Need Deadlines
— Deadlines maintain interest, help you identify pitfalls, and may prompt other ideas and projects

Turn Every Effort Into a Page
— Look for every opportunity to turn your work into a publication

References

• Mireles-Cabodevila E, Stoller JK. Research during fellowship: ten commandments. Chest. 2009 May;135(5):1395-9. PMID: 19420211.