Introduction to Research

Recommended Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of Cell and Molecular Biology; Basic english skills.

Teaching Methods

The CU will be taught, mainly, by presenting scientific articles and lab results within the scope of the identified scientific question. For bibliographic research, during class, databases, such as Pubmed, will be used, allowing students to learn how to properly use this tool. Students are always encouraged to actively intervene and participate in the discussion of the themes being presented. Students will elaborate each of the various sections of a scientific paper as they are discussed in class. 

Learning Outcomes

This CU is the first contact of students with Scientific Research and as such should provide the basic skills needed to analyze and understand the importance of research for the practice and advancement of Medical sciences. The student should also learn to critically read and analyze a scientific paper, know how to present their results and discuss their relevance in the context of the current knowledge in the scientific field to which it is directed. It also aims for students to understand the competitive nature of modern scientific research and to acquire essential knowledge concerning the scientific method and basic competences required to write a scientific article.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

This CU aims to allow students to:

1. Perform an adequate bibliographic research

2. Understand the basic concepts of the experimental method, including the skill to define pertinent scientific problems and discuss their fundamentals

3. Being capable of critically reading a scientific article, and of summarizing it, distinguishing the essentials from the non-essential

4. Being capable of making a comprehensive review of a specific scientific field, and know how to present it orally and in written form in a comprehensive but brief manner

5. Know how to make pertinent scientific questions and propose solutions when faced with new problems

6. Compose a scientific paper, based on results presented and discussed in class; this paper should focus on a high impact issue in the biomedical field, and have an interdisciplinary approach, integrating topics from cellular and molecular mechanisms to human disease   

Head Lecturer(s)

Henrique Manuel Paixão dos Santos Girão

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Other: 20.0%
Mini Tests: 20.0%
Exam: 60.0%

Bibliography

Selected papers from international scientific journals within the scope  of different aspects of health and biological sciences, including, cell biology and biomedicine