LEAHLeadership Projects:

Objectives, Literature Review, Methods

Cari McCarty, Ph.D.November 22, 2013

Check In

• Content Category (1 of 5)• Topic• Mentoring Panel

Step 1: Create LP Objectives

• Clinical Care – What will you develop, who is it targeted to, and how could it improve care?

• Policy – What type of policy do you aim to inform and how will you go about it?

• Research – Specify and interest the reader in an important question your study will answer

• Advocacy – Who is your advocacy project targeted to? What are the advocacy objectives?

• Education – Who will you educate? What are the learning objectives?

Creating LP Objectives

Qualities of Strong LP Objectives

• Important and interesting: Check it out with your mentor and peers, spouse, friends, etc.

Framing: Does Your Objective Interest Others?

Creating Your LP Objectives

Qualities of Strong LP Objectives

• Important and interesting: Check it out with your mentor and peers, spouse, friends, etc.

• Clearly written, with unambiguous language: Does it mean to others what it means to you?

Is it Clear and Unambiguous?

Learning Many New Languages

During the course of your project, you will consult with diverse experts (technology, IRB, data management, research design, data analysis, biostatistics, scientific writing, etc.) …each speaking a different language…Ask for help when you are unsure what is meant …

Creating LP Objectives

Qualities of Strong LP Objectives

• Important and interesting: Check it out with your mentor and parents, spouse, friends, etc.

• Clearly written, with unambiguous language: Does it mean to others what it means to you?

• Specific enough to tell the reader what you’ll learn: Population? Exposure? Outcomes? Timeframes?

LP Objective Language

Tensions in creating a

a simple yet specific objective in lay language

• Specificity: Vague Detailed• Length: Long Short• Wording: Unclear Excessive

lingo

Creating LP Objectives

Qualities of Strong LP Objectives

• Imply a hypothesis (if Research): Can you phrase it “To determine or test whether “ ______ “? Does it imply the “directionality” of your hypothesis?

• Addressable (by you): How sure are you that YOU can do the work to address the objective? What is your method/outcome? Do you have or can you recruit the needed expertise?

Refining LP Objectives

• Have lots of other people review it• Have non-researchers review it • Re-review it yourself after taking a break from it• Make sure the work you are doing addresses it and

is feasible

Step 2: Literature Reviews with a Librarian

• Write down specific topics and keywords relevant to your objectives

• Identify the optimal librarian liaison http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/librarians/ or Susan Klawansky@seattlechildrens.org

• Email him/her and set up a meeting (in person or phone); they are expecting you!

• Refine and save your search

Literature Reviews

Benefits of Standardized Literature Reviews

• Research ideas: Gaps in literature, patterns in what has been examined

• Policy/advocacy: Data leads to changes!• Publishing: Write a standardized literature

review or an editorial• Save time when writing later manuscripts

and grants

Standardize Your Literature Reviews

Develop a Table/Form to Abstract Key Information

• For a specific question and a specific search • Specify inclusion/exclusion criteria for articles• Author/year, Sample, Measures, Results, Notes• Start simple; add detail as specific use(s) becomes

clear• What is it you want to know about the literature?

Case Study: Literature Review

• Is there an association between depression and alcohol use during adolescence?– Mixed findings, no consensus– Limited understanding of timing,

sequence, severity, role of conduct problems

Case StudyResults of Standardized Review

Study# of depression time points

# of alcohol timepoints

CP included

Depression Measure

Capaldi et al. (1999) 3 1 Yes Symptoms

Hussong et al., 1998Chassin et al., 2002

1 3 NoNo

Symptoms

Kaplow et. al., 2001 1 3 No Symptoms

King et al., 2004 1 2 No Diagnosis

Measelle et al., 2006 4 4 No Diagnosis & Symptoms

White et al., 2001Pardini et al., 2007

11

62

NoYes

SymptomsSymptoms

Mason et al., 2008 1 1 Yes Symptoms

Fleming et al., 2008 4 4 No Symptoms

PROPOSED STUDY 7 7 Yes Diagnosis & Symptoms

Example 1: Studies on Depression as a Risk Factor for Alcohol Use

Authors/Date

Sample Size

Type of Sample

Location Age Span

% Boys Ethnic

Englund et al., 2008

178 High-risk Midwest 9-18 53% 67.6% White10.6% African American21.8% Other

Maggs et all, 2008

16,009 Community Great Britain

7-42 50.8% Not provided

Hooshmand et al., 2012

4412 School-Based

Ontario, Canada

14-17 51% Not provided

Example 2: Meta-Analysis of Treatment Studies for Youth Depression

Author/Year

Sample Type

Control Group

Other Outcomes

Effect Size

Notes

Clarke et al., 2001

Subclinical Usual care in an HMO

Externalizing 0.11 6.3% attrition

DeCuyper et al., 2004

Subclinical school sample

Waitlist Anxiety 0.40

Diamond et al., (2002)

Diagnosed, referred youth

Waitlist Anxiety Family Functioning

0.68

Use a Citation Management System

Why? Saves your library of citations, inserts markers in your writing, formats your bibliography for different journals

Which tools are used most frequently at UW?

Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks, EndNote

http://guides.lib.washington.edu/content.php?pid=69943&sid=518591

Citation Management Systems

Refworks: free, great online “help”, web, transferable, no updates needed, tutorial and UW librarian support

Zotero: free, saves your library on your local computer but allows you to sync,

Mendeley: web-based app, with mobile capacity, newer

Endnote: many faculty use and like; costs; “updates” often pain

Endnote Web: free, limited to 10,000 citations, can import citations from a bookmark

Step 3: Method/Project Planning

Determine the approach that you will take to accomplish your objectives. This can take many forms:

Needs assessments

Focus groups

Key informant/stakeholder interviews

Statistical analysis of data

Writing a syllabus

Developing a curriculum

Developing a brochure/educational tools

Step 4: Flesh Out the Details

How will you approach people?

What questions will you ask them?

What measures will you use (established vs. new)?

How will you organize yourself?

How will you track your progress?

How will you summarize the results?

What will your project look like in the end?

How can your mentors best help you?