Sources of funding for research articles in medical education journals from 1999 to 2019

Abstract

Background

Prior studies report that most published medical education research is unfunded. We sought to determine the extent and sources of funding for medical education research articles published in leading journals, and how these have changed in the last two decades.

Methods

All research articles published in Academic Medicine, Advances in Health Sciences Education, Medical Education and Medical Teacher in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019 were reviewed for funding declarations. Funding sources were categorised as: government; university; healthcare organisation; private not-for-profit organisation; and for-profit company. Time trends were analysed using the Cochran-Armitage test.

Results

1822 articles were analysed. Over the aggregate 20-year period, 44% of all articles reported funding, with the proportion increasing from 30% in 1999 to 50% in 2019 (p < .001). The proportion of articles with government (10% to 16%, p = .049), university (6% to 17% p < .001), and not-for-profit funding sources (15% to 20%, p = .04) increased. Proportions of healthcare (3% to 4%, p = .45) and for-profit funding (2% to 1%, p = .25) did not significantly change with time.

Conclusions

Over the last 20 years, the proportion of funded published medical education research has significantly increased, as has funding from government, universities, and not-for-profit sources. This may assist researchers in identifying funders with a track record of supporting medical education research, and enhances transparency of where research funding in the field originates.

Keywords:

• Education
• funding
• medical
• periodicals as topic
• research support as topic

Author contributions

DGJM: Data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, visualisation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review & editing

NAS: Data curation, investigation, methodology, writing—review & editing

SAT: Conceptualisation, supervision, methodology, writing—review & editing

TMY: Writing—original draft preparation, writing—review & editing

MAR: Conceptualisation, supervision, methodology, investigation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review & editing

Disclosure statement

A full list of DGJM’s and MAR’s interests can be found at http://www.whopaysthisdoctor.org/doctor/500/active and http://www.whopaysthisdoctor.org/doctor/229/active, respectively.

Glossary

Research funding: A grant obtained by an individual or institution for conducting scientific research, generally through a competitive process.

Data availability statement

The full list of articles used for analysis, including the funding categorisation judgements made, has been uploaded to figshare.com with a provisional DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.21965165.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

DGJM was funded by Health Education England as an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow and is currently an NIHR In-Practice Fellow. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care or Health Education England. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, interpretation of the data; preparation, review, approval of or decision to publish the manuscript.

Notes on contributors

Douglas G. J. McKechnie

Douglas G. J. McKechnie, MA, MBBS, MSc, MRCP(UK), MRCGP, is a general practitioner in London, NIHR In-Practice Fellow at University College London, and Deputy Lead for Clinical and Professional Practice at University College London Medical School. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Nader Al-Shakarchi

Nader Al-Shakarchi, BSc, MBBS, studied Medicine at University College London graduating with distinction. Upon graduation, he moved to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he is currently a Research Fellow in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. His research interests include medical education, global health, artificial intelligence, and valvular heart disease.

Sean A. Tackett

Sean A. Tackett, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Medicine and International Medical Education Director for Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.

Tim M. Young

Tim M. Young, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, has a PhD in Neuroscience and has been a neurologist in London for over 20 years. He is an Associate Professor (teaching) at UCL and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Mohammed A. Rashid

Mohammed Ahmed Rashid, MBChB, MSc, MD, FRCGP, PFHEA, is Professor of Medical Education at University College London (UCL) Medical School and Vice Dean at UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences. He works part time as a primary care doctor in the UK National Health Service.