5 answers
Madeline
Student
Tallmadge, Ohio
1
Question
Asked
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How do scientific researchers come up with their ideas?
I'm an 11th grader in some biotechnology classes, and it's got me very interested in pursuing a career in medical research. However, I don't really understand how researchers come up with their ideas. Is there a list out there to choose from, or do people come up with them themselves? Because I've been trying and never came up with anything.
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5 answers
Briana Pelle, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech language pathology
149
Answers
Nashville, Tennessee
Updated
Briana’s Answer
Hi, Madeline!
This is a great question. There are a few different pathways toward finding a research idea. Remember that research has to first begin with a question/problem to be solved. Most people start with broad questions and narrow it down to a very specific point.
For example, of you're looking at biomedical engineering, you can ask "What are the downsides of chemoradiation therapy?" The answer is that it can lead to areas of the body that are not cancerous also being damaged. So your broad research question would be, "How do we make chemoradiation less damaging to healthy tissue?"
It now needs to be narrowed down to a more specific topic that can be researched, trialed, and replicated. A lot of this comes from expertise. A bioengineering researcher is going to have a strong background in the literature, fundamental ideas, and areas still in need of research. For example, there is current biomedical engineering research happening trying to develop a kind of membrane that the chemoradiation can be delivered in, where the membrane only "pops" when it reaches a certain kind of cancerous cell, therefore lessening the amount of healthy cells that are impacted. This is just one of the very many potential solutions.
If you want to see a few research ideas, it's a good idea to read research papers so that you can begin to understand the process of how and why research topics come to be. Research papers are typically composed of a literature review that goes over the background information of already-existing studies and illuminates what questions still need to be answered, a hypothesis or research goal, results of the study itself, a discussion of the results in the context of the foundational research, and any questions that still exist after the study is done or flaws that should be accounted for in future studies.
A lot of current research is focused on replicating past research to make sure their findings are accurate and reliable, or on answering the questions raised at the end of a previous study.
Hop on google scholar and start reading some full research studies that interests you
This is a great question. There are a few different pathways toward finding a research idea. Remember that research has to first begin with a question/problem to be solved. Most people start with broad questions and narrow it down to a very specific point.
For example, of you're looking at biomedical engineering, you can ask "What are the downsides of chemoradiation therapy?" The answer is that it can lead to areas of the body that are not cancerous also being damaged. So your broad research question would be, "How do we make chemoradiation less damaging to healthy tissue?"
It now needs to be narrowed down to a more specific topic that can be researched, trialed, and replicated. A lot of this comes from expertise. A bioengineering researcher is going to have a strong background in the literature, fundamental ideas, and areas still in need of research. For example, there is current biomedical engineering research happening trying to develop a kind of membrane that the chemoradiation can be delivered in, where the membrane only "pops" when it reaches a certain kind of cancerous cell, therefore lessening the amount of healthy cells that are impacted. This is just one of the very many potential solutions.
If you want to see a few research ideas, it's a good idea to read research papers so that you can begin to understand the process of how and why research topics come to be. Research papers are typically composed of a literature review that goes over the background information of already-existing studies and illuminates what questions still need to be answered, a hypothesis or research goal, results of the study itself, a discussion of the results in the context of the foundational research, and any questions that still exist after the study is done or flaws that should be accounted for in future studies.
A lot of current research is focused on replicating past research to make sure their findings are accurate and reliable, or on answering the questions raised at the end of a previous study.
Briana recommends the following next steps:
Sabrina Edgeworth
Lab Technician
5
Answers
North Brunswick Township, New Jersey
Updated
Sabrina’s Answer
Hi Madeline,
As someone who was just accepted to do medical research for my PhD let me help you out! First it is okay to not have it all specifically figured out you are only a junior in high school, trust me when I say the fact that you already have an idea what you want to do is great for you age. What I did to get where I am and what I assume is where you want to be since we are looking at the same career is I went for my bachelors in Biology and I did research in my undergraduate. When you apply to college look for schools with great STEM programs and take a look at their faculty page on the designated schools website. When you find a topic that seems interesting or exciting reach out to that faculty asking if they take undergrads for research. Gaining experience like this is great because it gives you a mentor long term who will help guide you based on your interests. I was fortunate enough to be able to do my undergraduate research in cancer metabolism and my mentor really helped me pursue grad school, which would be your next step.
From here you have three options. Phd, Masters or dual Phd/MD program. If you are looking for more lab based research a masters and/or Phd is fine. However a dual degree will also help with chances of clinical research. Just know this is all possible and you dont have to go to med school. Right now I am going for my Phd in Immunology and Microbiology at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at GW University. The nice thing about a PhD is almost always the school pays you and pays for everything (tuition, health insurance). When you go for your PhD you will do rotations with different faculty that you choose based on what sounds interesting and your advisor will help facilitate ideas about what you'd like to focus your research on. Also location matters. I would suggest schooling in a location with good facilities and hospitals. That provides more opportunity. Lastly have faith in yourself, you're not gonna have your exact project of interest for research immediately and you're certainly not expected to. Hope this helps.
As someone who was just accepted to do medical research for my PhD let me help you out! First it is okay to not have it all specifically figured out you are only a junior in high school, trust me when I say the fact that you already have an idea what you want to do is great for you age. What I did to get where I am and what I assume is where you want to be since we are looking at the same career is I went for my bachelors in Biology and I did research in my undergraduate. When you apply to college look for schools with great STEM programs and take a look at their faculty page on the designated schools website. When you find a topic that seems interesting or exciting reach out to that faculty asking if they take undergrads for research. Gaining experience like this is great because it gives you a mentor long term who will help guide you based on your interests. I was fortunate enough to be able to do my undergraduate research in cancer metabolism and my mentor really helped me pursue grad school, which would be your next step.
From here you have three options. Phd, Masters or dual Phd/MD program. If you are looking for more lab based research a masters and/or Phd is fine. However a dual degree will also help with chances of clinical research. Just know this is all possible and you dont have to go to med school. Right now I am going for my Phd in Immunology and Microbiology at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at GW University. The nice thing about a PhD is almost always the school pays you and pays for everything (tuition, health insurance). When you go for your PhD you will do rotations with different faculty that you choose based on what sounds interesting and your advisor will help facilitate ideas about what you'd like to focus your research on. Also location matters. I would suggest schooling in a location with good facilities and hospitals. That provides more opportunity. Lastly have faith in yourself, you're not gonna have your exact project of interest for research immediately and you're certainly not expected to. Hope this helps.
Robert Epstein
General Manager
83
Answers
Naples, Florida
Updated
Robert’s Answer
Indeed, that’s an excellent question. And Briana did a great job addressing it. Perhaps I can add a few more additions to consider while pursuing Briana’s suggestions.
• Among the many areas of ideas, choose those that involve things you truly enjoy. I’ve spent too much time doing research for others that made me dread getting up in the morning.
• After settling on interesting topics, add some quiet contemplation time to your routine. Breakthrough ideas often come with a quiet mind. You may wish to Google “Meditation to Boost Creativity”.
I wish you a fine future!
• Among the many areas of ideas, choose those that involve things you truly enjoy. I’ve spent too much time doing research for others that made me dread getting up in the morning.
• After settling on interesting topics, add some quiet contemplation time to your routine. Breakthrough ideas often come with a quiet mind. You may wish to Google “Meditation to Boost Creativity”.
I wish you a fine future!
Marty Martinez
Software Engineer
3
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Marty’s Answer
Hello Madeline! That is wonderful to hear that you are interested in a career in medical research; it is a challenging and rewarding field for you to strive to join. As part of my Master's work I contributed to research for a few Earth science labs, and I hope that my experiences can help shed some light on your question.
Many researchers who are entering the field will find a professor or lab that is doing work on a topic that is interesting to a newcomer. Most research institutions will have funds set aside for employing undergraduate research assistants, this is a great way for you to learn what research processes are engaging for you. While you are going through your first few years of learning research practices, you will see what your lab group struggles with and excels at; people often use these data points to drive their own research. You could help solve a common problem in your lab space, or seek out an answer that your lab leaders are not able to provide. The important thing to remember is that you can always change your course while determining what area of research works the best for you.
When it comes to finding out new questions to answer or ask in research; I have seen many successful scientists learn how one field solves a problem, then adapting that solution/process to their own area of research. Due to the fact that there is so much knowledge out in the world, researchers from different disciplines often don't have the opportunity to learn from others who are not in their field.
Keep up your high spirits, Madeline. You are going to make a fantastic researcher one day!
Many researchers who are entering the field will find a professor or lab that is doing work on a topic that is interesting to a newcomer. Most research institutions will have funds set aside for employing undergraduate research assistants, this is a great way for you to learn what research processes are engaging for you. While you are going through your first few years of learning research practices, you will see what your lab group struggles with and excels at; people often use these data points to drive their own research. You could help solve a common problem in your lab space, or seek out an answer that your lab leaders are not able to provide. The important thing to remember is that you can always change your course while determining what area of research works the best for you.
When it comes to finding out new questions to answer or ask in research; I have seen many successful scientists learn how one field solves a problem, then adapting that solution/process to their own area of research. Due to the fact that there is so much knowledge out in the world, researchers from different disciplines often don't have the opportunity to learn from others who are not in their field.
Keep up your high spirits, Madeline. You are going to make a fantastic researcher one day!
Mark Skillern
Chemist
4
Answers
Port Arthur, Texas
Updated
Mark’s Answer
We have some scientific researchers at my company and most ideas that they come up with are to solve problems in our industry. So if you're having trouble coming up with ideas, my best advice would be to ask others what sort of issues they are having in your field of study, and then think of ways you can help fix those issues.