ArticleBMC medical education2025
Probing the passion: evaluating Nigerian medical students' interests in research.
Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
41 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionClinical research is key to advancing healthcare, driving innovation, characterising and addressing both local and global health challenges. Medical students' participation in research during their education is essential for developing future clinician-scientists. However, in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Nigeria, several barriers restrict student involvement in research. In this study, we evaluated the interest, awareness, and research engagement of Nigerian medical students, identify extant barriers, while proposing strategies to enhance participation in clinical research.
methodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 691 Nigerian medical students across 42 accredited medical schools using a convenience sampling technique. Participants, aged 18 years and above, were recruited from all academic levels (100-600 levels). A self-administered online questionnaire assessed sociodemographics, research awareness, interest, participation, and barriers to research. Data were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 27.0 and descriptive statistics, and chi-square tests were employed to identify associations between demographic factors and research participation, awareness, and engagement.
resultsThe mean (SD) age (in years) of study participants was 21.88 (3.14), and 68.2% were aged 20-25 years with 50.5% females. Most participants (27.2%) were in their fourth year of medical training. Most students reported moderate (53.4%) or low (40.9%) research awareness, and 55.1% had participated in research activities, primarily data collection (31.1%) and literature review (21.8%). While 91.2% of the study participants showed interest in research activities, barriers included time constraints (66.6%), lack of awareness about research opportunities (60.6%), lack of mentorship (59.9%), and financial constraints (52.7%). Chi-square analysis revealed significant associations between academic level, research awareness, engagement and interest (p < 0.001) as well as gender and research interest (p = 0.04).
conclusionThis study highlights the strong interest in research among Nigerian medical students but also reveals notable barriers limiting their engagement. By addressing these challenges through structured mentorship programs, early exposure to research, curricular integration, equitable resource allocation, and regional interventions, institutions can bridge the gap between interest and active research participation. Establishing a supportive research culture is essential for empowering students to contribute meaningfully to scientific innovation and addressing local health challenges.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.