Publication:

From research to discovery: developing scholarly research competence in health professions education

This evidence-informed narrative review examines how research engagement in health-professions education can develop into continuing scholarly participation, from research experience and publication to scholarly discovery, connection with subsequent scholarship and interpretation of research indicators. Literature addressing research engagement, thesis-to-publication experiences, scientific communication, scholarly discoverability, bibliometrics, research indicators and responsible research assessment was identified through targeted searches of PubMed/MEDLINE and scholarly databases, supplemented by citation tracking and guidance from scholarly organisations. Evidence was synthesised narratively to develop an educational perspective. Research engagement can support skills and scholarly interests among health-professions learners. Evidence from medical education illustrates the transition from student research projects and theses to publications. Publication creates a formal scholarly record, while identifiers, metadata and indexing support discovery and connection with related scholarship. Bibliometric indicators describe selected dimensions of scholarly activity, and their interpretation depends on the indicator, unit of analysis, source, time period, field and purpose. Building on existing scholarship on bibliometric and scholarly metrics literacy, we adapt the concept for health-professions education as a practical educational competency: the ability to understand commonly encountered scholarly indicators, recognise what they describe, identify their source and context, and interpret them appropriately. This definition is an educational synthesis rather than a claim of a universally standardised competency framework. Research education can extend beyond conducting a study to communicating research, participating in the scholarly record, understanding scholarly connections and interpreting research indicators responsibly. The pathway—RESEARCH → PUBLISH → DISCOVER → CONNECT → UNDERSTAND → GROW—frames research as a continuing scholarly journey.