Think Beyond Research Outcome and Publication! A Review of Various Parameters for Assessment of Medical Research

Medical research has following phases- planning, performance, documentation, analysis, and publication. Evaluation of research can be summative (i.e. evaluations of research results) vs formative (i.e. evaluation used for improving scientific processes), quantitative vs qualitative and individual vs institute/departments. Understanding the usefulness and impact of science is important; Peer review mechanisms for objectively processing protocols should be there to produce quality research. Research committees should be established at the institute level to monitor the progress of research. Publication of research findings in high-quality international and peer-reviewed scientific journals should be emphasized apart from using the research for patient care, policy and programs. For improved decision-making in biomedical research, evaluation should be based on both bibliometric methods and peer review. For capacity building and skills development in research, researchers involved in the biomedical field require rigorous and methodological training to appraise the quality of evidence available critically and not trust all published literature. This narrative review aims to synthesize parameters for assessing medical research quality beyond outcomes and publications, focusing on LMICs like India. This review is narrative and non-systematic, subjective in nature and potentially subject to selection bias.