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. 2024 Jan 20;24(1):75.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05060-7.

From master's thesis to research publication: a mixed-methods study of medical student publishing and experiences with the publishing process

Maria Björklund  1 , Ramin Massoumi  2 , Bodil Ohlsson  3   4
Affiliations

From master's thesis to research publication: a mixed-methods study of medical student publishing and experiences with the publishing process

Maria Björklund et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Background: Medical student master's theses are often carried out as research projects, and some are published as research papers in journals. We investigated the percentage of master's theses conducted by 5th -year students at the Medical Degree Program at Lund University, Sweden, that subsequently served as the basis for research publications. In addition, we explored both student and supervisor experiences with the publishing process.

Methods: A cohort of four semesters of student data covering the period from 2019 to 2020 (n = 446) was searched in PubMed, Embase and the Web of Science to assess whether they had been published as research papers. Surveys were sent to students (n = 121) and supervisors (n = 77) to explore their experiences with the publishing process.

Results: We found that 33% (149 of 446) of the students in the 2019-2020 cohort subsequently published their theses, and 50% of these students were listed as first authors. Most students published original research. Students (n = 21) and supervisors (n = 44) reported that the publishing process was time-consuming and that students needed multilevel support from supervisors to achieve successful publication. The publishing process was reported by 79% of the students to have led to additional learning. Most of the papers (126 of 149, 85%) had a clinical or patient-oriented focus.

Conclusion: A high percentage of the student publications in which students are listed as first authors require engagement from both students and supervisors. Supervisors play an essential role in supporting students in a successful publication process. Most of the published papers were either clinical or patient-oriented research.

Keywords: Learning experience; Master’s theses; Publication process; Research publications; Student performance; Student publishing; Supervisors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Student support needs in the publishing process: Comparison of student (n = 19) and supervisor (n = 42) experiences. Fisher’s exact test was used. A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Level of student independence in the publishing process: Comparison of student and supervisor experiences Students (n = 19) and supervisors (n = 42) rated the perceived levels of student independence on a five-point scale. Mann‒Whitney U test was used. A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance
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