1. Developing Smart objectives and literature review Zia-Ul-Ain Sabiha

2. Once you have established the goals it is time to think about objectives and activities needed to accomplish these goals. First, ask yourself the following questions: WHAT are we going to do? WHY is it important for us to accomplish this activity? WHO is going to be responsible for the activities? WHEN do we want this to be completed? HOW are we going to do these activities?

3. What is an objective An objective is a clear statement of something that needs to be accomplished over a period of time.

4. SMART objectives Once you have answered the questions listed above, define your SMART objectives to move those ideas into action. SMART objectives are: Specific: Concrete, detailed, and well defined so that you know where you are going and what to expect when you arrive Measureable: Numbers and quantities provide means of measurement and comparison Agreed/Achievable: feasible and easy to put into action Realistic/: Considers constraints such as resources, personnel, cost, and time frame Time-Bound: A time frame helps to set boundaries around the objective

5. Specific Objectives should clearly state what you are expected to achieve, using action verbs to describe what has to be done. For example: Not specific: Encourage more people to join the Sports Centre Specific: Increase membership of the Sports Centre Not specific: Conduct research Specific: Formulate plans for research on topic X

6. Measureable Objectives should include a quality and/or quantity reference so that you can measure whether or not you have achieved them. For example: Not measurable: Increase membership of the Sports Centre Measurable: Increase membership of the Sports Centre by 10% Not measurable: Formulate plans for research on topic X Measurable: Formulate plans for research on topic X and submit grant application to X Research Council.

7. Agreed/Achievable It is something that you have control over The goals should be challenging but not impossible Can it be done in the proposed timeframe? Are the limitations and constraints understood? Can we do this objective with the resources available

8. Realistic Objectives should be challenging but achievable i.e. they should not be unrealistic. For example, It might be realistic to plan to lose 10 pounds in weight but it would be unrealistic to plan to lose 10 pounds in one week. Objectives should also take account of the skills, knowledge and resources needed to achieve them. You may need to consider whether you need any training or development (or other support) in order to achieve the objective.

9. Time bound Objectives should include a time reference, such as a specific deadline. For example: Not time bound: Increase membership of the Sports Centre by 10% Time bound: Increase membership of the Sports Centre by 10% over the next six months Not Time bound: Formulate plans for research on topic X and submit grant application to X Research Council Time bound: Formulate plans for research on topic X and submit grant application to X Research Council by 1 June 2009.

10. If there is a particularly long timescale involved, you may need to break your objective down, Identify the steps you need to take to achieve your overall objective And work out how long each step is likely to take so that you can agree a target date.

11. Using SMART objectives Writing SMART objectives also helps you to think about and identify elements of the evaluation plan and measurement, namely indicators and performance measures. An indicator is what you will measure to obtain observable evidence of accomplishments, changes made, or progress achieved. Indicators describe the type of data you will need to answer your evaluation questions. A SMART objective often tells you what you will measure. A performance measure is the amount of change or progress achieved toward a specific goal or objective. SMART objectives can serve as your performance measures because they provide the specific information needed to identify expected results.

12. Where do research ideas come from? Searching the medical literature

13. Literature Review

14. Why Literature Review Information seeking: the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books Critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies.

15. 1. Choose a topic. Define your research question. Your literature review should be guided by a central research question. Remember, it is not a collection of loosely related studies in a field but instead represents background and research developments related to a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

16. Con’d Tips: Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow. Is it manageable? Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later. If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor.

17. 2. Decide on the scope of your review. How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover?

18. 3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches. Don't forget to look at books! Make an appointment with or contact your librarian to make sure you aren't missing major databases.

19. Searching the literature 1- The US National Library of Medicine The US National Library of Medicine(NLM) is the largest library in the world. It has been indexing the biomedical literature since 1897 to help provide health professionals access to information necessary for research, health care and education. It makes available to researchers a vast data base that is updated and changed frequently

20. MEDILINE Pubmed Pub med central MeSH(Medical Subjects Heading) MEDILINE search

21. Searching the internet The internet and the world wide web Search engines Search using subject directories Using a key word search Boolean logic Health information on the web

22. Free access to medical journals on the internet

23. Some questions to help you analyze the research: What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to discover? What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions. Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?

24. Ask your self questions like these How good was my information seeking? Has my search been wide enough to ensure I've found all the relevant material? Has it been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my paper?

25. Have I critically analyzed the literature I use? Do I follow through a set of concepts and questions, comparing items to each other in the ways they deal with them? Instead of just listing and summarizing items, do I assess them, discussing strengths and weaknesses? Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective? Will the reader find my literature review relevant, appropriate, and useful?

27. References http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific- types-of-writing/literature-review http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific- types-of-writing/literature-review http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/ conducting-a-literature-review.php http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature -reviews/ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature -reviews/ http://www.cdc.gov/phcommunities/resourcekit/ evaluate/smart_objectives.html http://www.cdc.gov/phcommunities/resourcekit/ evaluate/smart_objectives.html http://www.kean.edu/sites/default/files/u7/SMA RT%20Objectives.pdf