Exploring the Impact of ResearchEazy, an Online Research Series for Medical Students: The Longitudinal Impact of Perspectives and Knowledge of Research

Background The ability to appraise and apply research is fundamental to the practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM). Despite the General Medical Council’s (GMC) mandate for United Kingdom (UK) medical graduates to integrate research with patient care, many medical students report insufficient teaching in research methodology within the curriculum. To address this gap, we developed a 14-part international webinar series that combines near-peer and clinician-led teaching to enhance participants’ confidence and knowledge in research methodology. Methods Academic clinicians delivered 14 research skills sessions. Participants rated their confidence on a 5-point Likert scale before and after the course. Knowledge was assessed with a 40-question pre-series quiz and a 60-question post-series quiz; data were paired using Self-Generated Identification Codes (SGIC). A Wilcoxon Signed Rank test with Bonferroni correction analysed confidence changes, while Friedman’s and Dunn’s tests analysed quiz results. Results A total of 51 and 38 participants completed the pre- and post-course questionnaires, respectively, resulting in a final paired cohort of 22 participants after excluding unmatched and incomplete responses. There was no significant increase in participants’ self-reported confidence levels, but significant improvements were observed when comparing pre- and post-course knowledge levels. Conclusion This study demonstrates that online webinars significantly improve undergraduate medical students' research skills and knowledge. However, no significant increase in interest in academic careers was observed, nor was there a significant increase in self-perceived research confidence. The results suggest that integrating structured research training into the core medical curriculum is essential to enhance students’ engagement with research and academic writing, thereby supporting the development of essential skills for future medical practice.