Academic Publishing 101: From Idea to Article...and Beyond

This course will be available online via Zoom. Registration is required to secure your spot. This course will NOT be recorded – attendance is required.

Although graduate school teaches you many things, many PhD students complete their dissertations having never been fully trained in academic publishing. How does academic publishing actually work? Where should you publish your research? How do you actually get papers accepted in strong academic journals? In this talk, we will discuss several major ideas in academic publishing (focusing on the social sciences). We will discuss (1) professional integrity and ethics; (2) the role of academic conversations and communities as a guide for publication forums and journal selections; (3) the mechanics of publishing in journals and other forums (including outlining, writing style, journal, legal, and newspaper submissions, the peer review process, revisions, and corresponding with editors); and (4) acceptance and all that follows.

There will be a 1-hour lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and (2) 15-minute breaks (one in the morning and one in afternoon).

Register

Reproducibility Rounds: Reproducibility Training Initiatives

Training in Rigor and Reproducibility varies across countries and institutions. In this talk, representatives from Reproducibility for Everyone (R4E), Community for Rigor (C4R), and Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training (FORRT) will present their courses, workshops, materials, resources, and communities working on advancing research transparency, reproducibility, rigor, and ethics.

Speakers:
Nafisa Jadavji, PhD, FAHA
Assistant Professor
Southern Illinois University

Susan McClatchy, MS
Bioinformatics Analyst III
The Jackson Laboratory

Hao Ye, PhD
Curriculum Lead
Community for Rigor

Flavio Azevedo, PhD
Assistant Professor
Utrecht University

REGISTER

NC TraCS Data Science Lab Seminar Series: Leveraging big data with Apache Spark

Working with big data requires specialized tools. In this seminar, JP Powers, PhD, a research data scientist in the TraCS Data Science Lab, will introduce Apache Spark, an open-source engine for large-scale data processing.

Seminars in the NC TraCS Data Science Lab Seminar Series will cover a range of topics related to health care data science, clinical data, data engineering, and working in these areas at UNC-Chapel Hill. These hybrid seminars will be held on the third Tuesday of each month from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the NC TraCS suite on the 2nd floor of Brinkhous-Bullitt or via Zoom.

register

The Informed Consent Process: Why It Matters and How to Get It Right

This hybrid NRP Education session will be presented by Brett Phillips, MA, PMP, CCRP, Clinical Research Program Manager, from the UNC Blood Research Center. Phillips will discuss the historical and ethical significance of informed consent in clinical research, how to prepare effectively for the informed consent process, how to handle difficult conversations, and how to implement post-consent best practices.

Every breath, every beat: Integrating multi-modal Real-Time data streams for explainable clinical prediction systems in the ICU

Join the Carolina Health Informatics Program (CHIP) in-person for a talk led by Rishi Kamaleswaran, PhD, MS, an Associate Professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology at Duke University School of Medicine.

Rishi Kamaleswaran, PhD, MS, is a computer scientist by training, he develops machine learning models using multimodal data to improve patient outcomes, with expertise spanning ICU physiology, omics data, and biomedical engineering. Much of his recent work involves modeling complex multimodal insight to study the mechanisms behind the onset of deterioration in critically ill and immunocompromised patients across the lifespan, such as progression to single or multiple organ dysfunction, sepsis, respiratory and neurological dysfunction. His goal for his research program is based on developing intelligent systems that can be used to develop new cures for diseases and advance clinical understanding of critical and acute illness. He has been funded by the NIH and other industry and private foundations to advance research in those fields.

Register

The Cost of Large Teams in Innovation

The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC-Chapel Hill is excited to announce the next event from Accelerating Collaborative Team Science (ACTS) — a Team Science educational program.

ACTS functions as a connector, bridging the gap between researchers, coordinating centers, and other parties involved in practicing and promoting collaborative team science theory and practical applications across the scientific research landscape. With twenty years of experience coordinating team science efforts, RENCI provides a unique vantage point for those seeking to understand the role of the coordinating center and the challenges specific to large, geographically dispersed scientific teams.

While traditional studies have emphasized the benefits of teamwork, Lingfei Wu, PhD, investigates their overlooked costs in innovation. By leveraging big data and AI tools, Wu identifies disruptive innovation in science and technology, showing how large teams can hinder individual creativity that might otherwise drive breakthrough advancement in the field (Wu et al., 2019, Nature). His analysis reveals that team hierarchy is a key factor, with early-career scientists often playing a supporting role in idea implementation rather than leading the generation of new ideas (Xu et al., 2022, PNAS; Lin et al., 2023, Nature). To deepen this investigation, his team created and analyzed the world’s first observational dataset on author contributions, derived from two million LaTeX source files from preprint websites. This innovative approach reveals how large teams can obscure individual recognition, especially for junior scientists. This issue has become increasingly relevant today, as teams grow ubiquitous across domains, yet not all team members receive recognition for their contributions.

Learn more at renci.org/team-science/.

register

This interactive online workshop will provide an introduction to focus groups, a data collection method used in qualitative research. Topics covered will include focus group methodology, considerations for planning a focus group, development of focus group discussion guides, focus group facilitation skills, and tips for conducting virtual focus groups. Attendees will also observe or participate in a mini "mock" virtual focus group session.

Presenters:
MaryBeth Grewe, MPH
Program Manager, Qualitative Research Service
Research Specialist, Patient and Community Engagement in Research (PaCER) Program
NC TraCS Institute

Simone Frank, MPH
Senior Project Manager, Patient and Community Engagement in Research (PaCER) Program
Research Specialist, Qualitative Research Service
NC TraCS Institute

Register

Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known, but Incredibly Useful Research Methods

We all know about surveys, focus groups, and qualitative interviews. These tried and true methods are foundational to the world of research, and have proven their worth through the decades. But have you ever wondered if there might be more to research, or feel that you need more tools in your methods toolbox?

This workshop takes participants on a methodological journey, exploring a wide range of less-conventional data collection and analysis methods. Participants will learn how everyday things – e.g., household garbage, restroom graffiti, plastic toys – can be used in research to produce novel and valuable insights.

In this inter-active workshop, participants will learn when, why and how to utilize more than two dozen lesser-known data collection and analysis methods. Social network analysis, geo-spatial techniques, along with several forms of observation methods, will be examined in both exploratory and confirmatory contexts. Participants will also learn when and how to employ a variety of cognitively-oriented methods, such as free-listing, pile-sorting and ethnographic decision modelling. Numerous projective techniques that are designed to evoke personal narratives and deep-rooted values – such as vignettes (qualitative and quantitative variations) - will be examined. Participants will additionally learn how to optimize traditional surveys and qualitative data collection methods by incorporating unique activities and types of questions into instruments and procedures.

The workshop is comprised of lectures, and multiple hands-on exercises. Examples are drawn from both domestic and international research contexts.

Register

Texting for Behavior Change: Lessons Learned Across 2 Interventions to Improve Chronic Care Management

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Michael Ho, MD, PhD
Kaiser Permanente Colorado

Sheana Bull, PhD
University of Colorado School of Public Health

Learn More