Publication/presentation requirement: regulation 4.10

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Chapter 8 Publication/presentation requirement

Regulation 4.10

Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration.

Thomas Alva Edison

Candidates must complete the publication/presentation component of advanced training to be eligible to sit the fellowship examination. Although a minority of trainees ruled eligible to sit the fellowship examination prior to 2004 may complete this component after sitting the fellowship examination, the component must be satisfied within three years of passing the exam or the pass will become null and void and a resit will be required. For this reason, it is preferable to finalise this component of your training prior to embarking on your study program for the fellowship exam. Otherwise, it can distract from your study progress.

Research presented for this component must be relevant to emergency medicine. As such, trainees who have completed projects prior to entering the training program may be granted an exemption if their previous work meets the requirements of the College. However, this is uncommon.

It is of utmost importance that you carefully study the requirements of regulation 4.10 regarding authorship, content and procedural matters as set out in the College website.

Purpose

Regulation 4.10 serves a number of purposes. Most FACEMs are involved in research during their careers, whether as investigators or recruiting patients for studies being run by others. This component is designed to give trainees insight into or ‘a taste of’ how research works. Even for those who are not involved in research later in their careers, it is imperative to be aware of study design and the concepts of evidencebased medicine in order to critically appraise the research of others. Being directly involved in a research project provides valuable insight into the particular challenges of conducting quality research. This is a two-way process, making you more sensitive to the importance of ensuring good study design and also more astute in detecting methodological flaws. Finally, of course, the research thus performed aims to boost the collective knowledge of issues related to emergency medicine and ultimately to improve patient care.

Format

Research undertaken for the 4.10 may be presented in a number of ways:

• publication in a peer-reviewed journal
• an oral presentation at an ACEM-recognised conference judged by ACEM-designated adjudicators
• a poster presentation at an ACEM-recognised conference judged by ACEM-designated adjudicators
• thesis.

Regardless of the mode in which the 4.10 is completed, the path is the same. Therefore, this is not an essential decision in the initial stages. It is more fruitful to concentrate first on what you will do and how you will achieve this than whether you will be submitting for publication or applying for an oral or poster presentation. However, eventually you will need to choose which format best suits the topic and your personal preferences.

Publication

Publication in a refereed journal carries with it the challenges of going through the manuscript acceptance process. Your article will undergo peer review by a number of persons specifically selected for that purpose (usually experts in that particular field). This level of scrutiny can be disheartening depending on how well you handle critique (rarely is a submission accepted without revision), but it is also highly productive as you receive expert sug gestions on improving your article. The process can take a considerable period of time depending on the publisher selected, although most have developed rapid turnaround systems.

Your article does not actually have to be published for your 4.10 to be considered satisfied for the purpose of being eligible to sit the fellowship exam. Evidence of acceptance for publication is sufficient, leaving you free to concentrate on preparing for the exam itself while you wait to see your name immortalised in print.

The strength of choosing publication is that you will have this forever on your CV. Should you choose to continue to publish, the lessons you learn from this experience will be invaluable. Subsequent projects will become progressively easier.

Oral presentation

The most popular form chosen is for oral presentation at a recognised meeting — usually a national, state or regional emergency medicine meeting. This popularity probably arises from familiarity, as this is the most common form of presentation at meetings in general and is similar to the way the majority of teaching sessions are run.

However, even though an oral presentation does not require submission to a publisher, you do need to submit your project details to the College for consideration. When assessing your project, the College follows the same basic procedure as the publishing review process.

The oral presentation tests your capacity to speak in a public forum, keep to time and handle questions asked by FACEM adjudicators. Many of these questions will be the same as those posed by the publishing review process, but time constraints will mean the depth of questioning and time for your response will be much less than via the publishing process.

If you are comfortable with public speaking and have prepared and know your project well, you will find an oral presentation far less stressful. The particular advantage is that the decision to accept/reject your proposal will be made in a known time frame without the uncertainty associated with publication time lines.

Poster presentation

Poster presentations are often overlooked as a format, although they have become increasingly popular in recent years and we encourage you to consider this option. Preparation is essentially identical to that for an oral presentation, including material that must be submitted to the College. However, there is a greater capacity to accommodate poster presentations than oral presentations from the point of view of meeting organisers and so a submission to present a poster (or tick the box that says ‘either’) is more likely to be accepted than a request only to present orally.

Posters do not have to be large, glossy and expensive. Although most posters are professionally printed, it is perfectly acceptable to print out A4 or A3 sheets of paper and arrange them on the posterboard using the standard headings. If you do elect to have your poster printed professionally, allow sufficient time so that proofs can be read and corrected if necessary.

The poster itself will do some of the ‘talking’ for you, becoming a focal point of discussion. Posters are generally put on display for a period of time prior to the presentation session, providing you with the opportunity to get feedback from those browsing by. Explaining your project and discussing issues with strangers in an informal manner is a reasonably low-stress way of finetuning your presentation prior to the session with the adjudicators. Your time with the adjudicators will be split between you explaining your project and them questioning you on details about it. More information can be found on the College website.

A poster also gives you something to take away once you have been successful. The poster can adorn your office or take pride of place in the department for many years to come.

Thesis

If the research bug is part of your make-up, you may wish to commence more formal study from the outset and have the 4.10 project become part of a wider research endeavour. This will require a nominated supervisor and considerable time in planning the way forward. If this is for you, you are strongly encouraged to meet your local or regional research group, who will be invaluable in assisting you with the 4.10 project and your wider research endeavours.

Preparation

There is no ideal time to do the project; it depends on your professional and personal commitments. We recommend embarking on the 4.10 after being energised from your success at the primary examination and getting what most trainees perceive as an obstacle out of the way after a suitable period of rest and relaxation.

Whether you elect for publication or presentation, the whole project needs to be planned well ahead of time. The College has nominated 4.10 mentors in every region whose names are readily available. These people all have significant experience in research and have supervised many 4.10 projects. Make contact with these individuals as early as possible. They will be invaluable in all aspects of planning and conducting your study.

In addition, time spent carefully considering all of the following before you begin is essential.

Individual or team

Decide from the outset whether you work better by yourself or with one or more colleagues. If there are a number of you at the same stage of training, you may wish to work collaboratively on several projects, with one of you acting as lead investigator (and author) for each project. Sharing the workload and addressing the issues that arise as a group can be helpful. If you do work with others, however, choose very carefully: you want to work with people who are experienced and compatible and who will pull their weight.

Selecting the topic

Probably the hardest decision you will have to make is what your research topic will be. Sometimes a rush of enthusiasm based on the fortuitous discovery of an interesting research question or dilemma triggers your thinking. However, most trainees need time to select their topic.

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