Introduction to Investigation

Try the basis for discriminating between inductive and deductive knowledge knowledge and introduce students to the scientific method and its stages. It includes understanding the differences between observation and experimentation, as well as the process of developing and testing hypotheses, construction of laws, theories and models as well as the pair wing arguments causal inference. The basis for the practice of evidence-based medicine and clinical decision arguments.

Introduce the student in the approach of experiments, basic biomedical research techniques and experimental models.

Introduce the student to the structure of a scientific publication.

Transmit the importance of basic research to know the basics of the disease and its translation to the clinic.

Teach the role of statistics in research and management of the most common software: EXCEL, ACCESS, SPSS.

1. - The scientific method: Introduction. Formulation and development of hypothesis. Construction of laws, theories and models. Causality.

2- Epidemiological and Clinical Research (1): Experimental studies. The clinical trial. Concept and types.

3. - Epidemiological and Clinical Research (2): observational studies. Concept and types.

4. - Medicine based on the evidence. Quantitative aspects of medical reasoning. Systematic reviews and meta-analyzes.

5. Informed consent in research in humans and misconduct in scientific research

5. Basic research (1): Basic techniques in biomedical research.

6. Basic research (2): Animal models in biomedical research.

7. Epidemiological and Clinical Research (1): Experimental studies. The clinical trial. Concept and types.

8. Epidemiological and Clinical Research (2): observational studies. Concept and types.

9. Medicine based on the evidence. Quantitative aspects of medical reasoning. Systematic reviews and meta-analyzes.

10. Elements of a cientific article. How to read an article.

11. The role of statistics in biomedical research (1) Analysis of the results.

10. The role of statistics in biomedical research (2): Its application in different types of research.

11. The role of statistics in biomedical research (3): Its application in different types of studies.

13. The role of statistics in biomedical research (4): Its application are specific aspects. Diagnostic tests.

Interactive Seminar Syllabus Classes:


1. - How to measure research performance. Impact factor, H-index and others. Examples of misconduct in scientific research.
2.- Practical examples of informed consent.
3.- Types of studies: examples of how to answer one research question. The example of residential radon.
4. - Aplications and interpretation of results of basic techniques in biomedical research.
5. - Analysis and aplications of animal models in biomedical research.
6.- Biomedical research as a profession: The research career. A PhD and a doctorate. The research and clinical exercise of Medicine. Finantial resources
7.- Research centers. The laboratory: a tour for a virtual lab with real investigators.



Syllabus Class Interactive Laboratory

1. - Sofware: databases.
2. - Software: statistical packages.
3. - Example of application of statistical techniques in research.

- Rebagliato M, Ruiz I, Arranz M. Metodología de investigación en epidemiología. Ed Díaz de Santos. 1996. Con explicacións sinxelas percorre todos os pasos no deseño de investigacións, desde procura de literatura, elaboración de hipótese e deseño de cuestionarios. Moi recomendable para non iniciados.
- Ahlbom A, Norell S. Fundamentos de epidemiología. Ed Século XXI. 1995. Manual moi práctico con exercicios e exemplos sobre aspectos básicos de epidemioloxía.
- Coggon D, Rose G, Barker DJP. Epidemiology for the uninitiated. Fifth Edition. BMJ group. 2003. Libro curto sobre fundamentos de epidemioloxía. Moi sinxelo de ler.
- Manual de método epidemiológico. http://www.isciii.es/htdocs/publicaciones/documentos/2009-0843_Manual_e…. Libro extenso se quere profundar na materia.
- Weinberg R.A. The Biology of Cancer. Garland Science. 2nd Ed. 2014
- Alberts B; Johnson A; Lewis J; Raff M. Molecular Biology of the Cell. Garland Publishing. 5ª Ed. 2007.
- Altman DG. "Practical Statistics for Medical Research". CHAPMAN&HALL.
- Steven Johnson. El Mapa Fantasma. Capitán Swing ediciones. 2020.
- Others: Articles to determine to work with in the seminar classes

Among the skills you want to develop this course are from a generic viewpoint of the degree:

1. - Recognise own limitations and the need to maintain and update their professional skills, with particular emphasis on autonomously learning new skills and techniques and the motivation for quality.

2. - Understand, evaluate and learn to use sources of clinical and biomedical information to collect, organize, interpret and communicate scientific and health information.

3. - Have in professional activity, a critical point of view, creative, constructive and skeptically oriented research.

The specific skills to achieve with this course are:

1. - Independently manage a personal computer and the most common computer applications in the field of biomedicine.

2.-Understand the principles of the scientific method, biomedical research and clinical trials.

3.- Understand the models and techniques of basic biomedical research.

4.- Basic interpretation of experimental results

5. - Know and use the principles of medicine based on the (best) evidence (based on medical evidence).

6.- To put in context the value of the H-index and impact factor of journals.

Teaching staff will explain the different concepts of the subject during presential lessons, with the help of multimedia tools. Some standard problems will be solved on different exercises and situations. Besides the recommended bibliography, students will have at their disposal different teaching materials. Teaching will take place in the classrooms assigned by the School of Medicine. There will be tutorial activities (individual) whenever required.

Teaching materials will be available in the Virtual Campus

IMPORTANT: The weight of the final exam may range from 70 to 100%. The weight of continuous evaluation may also range from 30 to 0%.

The evaluation will be the following for the first opportunity
Exam: There will be a test with 40 to 60 questions proportional to the different contents of the subject. To pass this subject, it is necessary to obtain least 65% or more of the possible marks in this exam. The weight of this exam can weight between 70 and 100% of the final marks of the subject.
Continuous assessment: it might be up to 30% of the final marks of this subject, but it is necessary to pass the test. Assistance to presential lessons or seminars could be taken into account. A brief exam (test type) could be performed at the end of the seminars or expositive lessons, or through the virtual campus. The ability when using different software may also be evaluated using documentation from the student. Presentations, aptitudes and actitudes may also be accounted during their participation in computer practices.

For the continuous assessment competences on information resources may be evaluated. For that, the student has to do the course organized by the library of the School of Medicine and pass all the tests from that course. This activity has the following name: CURSO BÁSICO EN COMPETENCIAS EN INFORMACIÓN, it is an online course accesible through the Virtual Campus of the University. The students will learn abilities and capacities to locate and analyze information useful to acquire new knowledge. Students will learn to communicate, disseminate and share information in a thoughtful and responsible way.

The weight of the continuous evaluation in the second opportunity will be the same as that used in the first opportunity. If the subject is failed, these qualifications will be maintained if the student asks for this, during the two forthcoming years.

If the student parcipates and presents his continous assement test he will be puntuated even if he does not perform the exam. The exception will be if he only has the evaluation of the basic course in comptences in information, in that case the grade will be as not presented.

The final score will be calculated as the add of exam and continous assement only if the exam is approved. If this is not the case the final score will be only the exam score, cero if there is no exam score but the student has score from the continous assement.

For the second opportunity, the same evaluation system employed for the first opportunity may be used or the test exam may be substituted by an oral test with any of the teaching staff. This oral exam will weight the same as the test exam. In this case the scores obtained through the continuous evaluation will be kept, in case that such continuous assessment is available.

In this course, the student must attend 28 hours of classroom teaching (16 hours of lectures and 12 hours of interactive (9 seminars and 3 laboratory.) For each hour of lecture, considered necessary to devote to the study around 1.5 hours of work of the students (review of concepts and use of the bibliography).

Regarding the interactive, for each hour would be enough time for a review of the class. In addition, students should be aware that it is necessary to practice problem solving (the sets or the bibliography).

Attendance at lectures and interactive sessions is critical to monitor and pass the course. The student must work all the activities recommended by the professor (problem solving, review literature and practical exercises) in order to pass the course.

In the second opportunity the test might be changed for an oral exam, keeping the weight obtained by the continuous assessment in the first call (if this is the case).


In those cases where a student performs misconduct by cheating, using of forbidden technologies or plagiarism it will be applied the principles approved in the by-law regarding assessment of academic performance and marks review.