Research requirements enable you to gain experience:
- in research methods
- in interpretation of research literature
- in participation in research at some stage of your career
- to develop quality improvement skills
Submission of a research project provides:
- evidence of the skills of considering and defining research problems
- the systematic acquisition, analysis, synthesis and interpretation of data
- effective written communication
Requirement for trainees commencing training from 2019 onwards
One Advanced Training Research Project AND one Immunology and Allergy project are due by the annual submission date of 15 September in any year before the end of Advanced Training. Please note that an Immunology and Allergy project is not required if the Advanced Training Research Project is specific to immunology and allergy, supervised by an Immunology and Allergy Fellow, and completed during training.
The research projects must be marked as satisfactory prior to admission to Fellowship. It is recommended that you submit your research projects by the annual submission date in your penultimate year of training to allow time for marking and resubmission of research projects initially marked ‘Resubmit’.
Requirement for trainees who commenced training between 2017 and before 2019
One Advanced Training Research Project OR one Immunology and Allergy project are due by the annual submission date of 15 September in any year before the end of Advanced Training.
The research project must be marked as satisfactory prior to admission to Fellowship. It is recommended that you submit your research project by the annual submission date in your penultimate year of training to allow time for marking and resubmission of research projects initially marked ‘Resubmit’.
Requirement for trainees who commenced training before 2017
One Immunology and Allergy Research Project over the course of training is due by 15 September in the penultimate year of training. A substantial piece of work is required, and it is recommended that the project be planned early in Advanced Training with your supervisor(s).
Immunology and Allergy Project Guidelines
Ideally the project should be performed during the period of Advanced Training, although earlier studies might be deemed satisfactory if the objective stated above is fulfilled. The project may form part of a higher research degree undertaken during or prior to commencement of Advanced Training.
Presentation skills should be developed by presenting clinical or laboratory projects at the national meetings of the relevant colleges or societies. The project report should be deemed as satisfactory by the supervisor prior to submission, and a statement detailing the supervisors assessment of the merits of the study and verifying your efforts should be attached.
Post-FRACP trainees who complete the requirements of the program as a second specialty may be exempt from project submission if the above objective is fulfilled by the project submitted to the previous overseeing committee. If no such project has been submitted, or it is deemed not to have fulfilled the objective, no exemption will be granted. It is therefore recommended that this be discussed with the Coordinator of Advanced Training early in their training.
Late submission of projects (after 15 September in the penultimate year of training) may delay conferring of Fellowship and may prolong the period of Advanced Training.
The project must be presented in a rigorous scientific format, of a quality suitable for publication, with sections for abstract, introduction, aims, methods, results, discussion and conclusion. A publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal is most suitable for this purpose.
Your exact contribution to the publication should be specified if you are not the author of the publication. This contribution, when separated from the remainder of the publication, must in itself meet the required standards.
Immunology and Allergy Project criteria
A project should meet the following criteria:
- It must make a contribution to established medical knowledge.
- It must constitute a significant body of work, either as a publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal, or as a scientific report.
- It must be presented in a logical sequence and convey a detailed understanding of the topic, with appropriate and comprehensive reference to published medical literature.
- It must constitute original work by the trainee. Material not directly arising from the work of the trainee may be included in the report (e.g. as an appendix) or form part of the publication, but will not be considered in determining whether the trainee’s contribution meets a satisfactory standard.
- It will normally constitute between 5000 and 10,000 words, although shorter, concise submissions may be satisfactory if they meet the other criteria.
- Work towards the project should normally constitute the equivalent of two–four hours per week over a one-year period.
Projects may constitute one of the following:
- A quality assurance activity or clinical audit that refines or attempts to refine standards in patient management within clinical immunology, with recommendations for improvements in patient care.
- Analysis of a laboratory test of an immunological condition.
- Analysis of a clinical test of an immunological condition.
- A case series to identify a novel aspect of an immunological condition.
- A case report with detailed laboratory assessment beyond routinely available diagnostic assays. A simple case report is not satisfactory, unless used as an introduction to an extensive literature review.
- A small clinical study of a novel therapeutic, or more likely an established therapeutic for a novel condition.
- A basic research project within the discipline of immunology.
- A detailed review of the literature on an immunological topic.
Other projects outside the above categories may be acceptable as long as they meet the objectives. Such exceptions should be discussed with the Coordinator of Advanced Training in Clinical Immunology and Allergy prior to commencement
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