Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Barriers Towards Research Among Undergraduate Medical Students in Tamil Nadu: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Teaching research methodology has become an integral component of medical training under the Competency-Based Medical Education to foster problem-solving, critical thinking, and evidence-based practice. Additionally, various accreditation councils and ranking systems include student research as an assessment parameter for excellence. Hence, assessing knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers toward research among undergraduate medical students is necessary to guide appropriate remedial measures. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among all undergraduate medical students belonging to the third and final years of a private medical college in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, between August and October 2023. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers toward conducting research. Results: All students were aged between 21 and 23 years, and 58% were females. The study found 94.8% to have adequate knowledge, while 52.4% had a positive attitude toward research. Only 30.8% of students had attended a training/workshop on research methodology, while 18.2% and 15.6% had done any project or applied for a project, respectively. Only 8.6% had done any scientific presentation, and 5.5% had a publication. Common barriers in conducting research were not being familiar with research methodology (73.1%), statistics (69.9%), lack of time (65.4%), lack of funds (59.4%), lack of guidance (59.1%), and lack of skill in scientific writing (56.6%). Conclusion: A wide gap exists between knowledge, attitude, and practice. Identifying solutions to overcome the barriers might help reduce this gap and encourage students to be involved in research activities.