How to find a worthy research subject

Sadeghi Ramin, MDNuclear Medicine Research

Center,Mashhad University of Medical

Sciences

Research topics

The main factor in scientific output and success of a researcher is to study on topics which are “hot” and “under debate”

Research topics

The best is to find an area of research and focus on it the remaining years of your scientific career.

How to find “hot” topics

Usually specialists know what is the most important area of research in the scope of their specialty. However it is not always the case

How to find “hot” topics

Meeting abstracts and proceedings These abstracts can be usually found

in ISI or SCOPUS Even a rapid review of an abstract

book can give you a rough estimate of what is “hot” in your field.

How to find “hot” topics TOC alert of major journals in your field

These alerts are set to send you an e.mail when the most recent issue of a journal is published online.

Can be very helpful since you can get familiar of research interests of journals in your field

Usually the journal websites or their publishers provide this service for free.

Link to full texts

SCOPUS alerts

Extremely invaluable for being up to date in your specialty.

It can be set by the user to cover whatever he/she likes

It is best to be set daily SCOPUS automatically e.mail you the list

of all articles which have been indexed and matches the user defined criteria.

SCOPUS alerts

The links to “full texts” and “view at publisher” can save invaluable time for finding the links to full text articles.

Group Work

• Register in website of a known journal in your field and ask for TOC e.mail alert

• Register in SCOPUS and ask for a relevant e.mail alert in your field