title: Contribution of medical student research to the Medline-indexed publications of a German medical faculty.
abstract: Medical students in Germany have to write a research thesis to acquire the title of medical doctor. This study evaluates the contribution of student research to the Medline-indexed publications of a German medical faculty. A 1993-1995 Medline-publication list, on which medical students among authors should be marked, was sent to medical faculty staff of the University of Würzburg, Germany (n = 238). Faculty members responded (106, 45%), 66 were working at a clinic, 26 at a clinic-associated institute and 14 at a basic science institute. Between 1993 and 1995, 1128 Medline-indexed papers were published by these faculty members, who on average supervised 4.5 medical students (n = 477). Medical students were among the authors of 316 (28%) and were the first authors of 88 papers (7.8%). For 66% of medical students their research resulted in a Medline-indexed publication. Medical student research activity can significantly influence the published output of a medical faculty.
authors.affiliation: Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Medical Faculty, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cursiefen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altunbas
mesh_terms: D005178:Faculty; D005858:Germany; D016239:MEDLINE; D012106:Research; D013337:Students, Medical