Conducting a successful residency research project.

The residency research project can be a challenging endeavor for pharmacy residents since they typically have limited experience in this area. Furthermore, as the number of accredited residency programs has increased, so has the demand for preceptors with research experience. This review is intended to assist the resident and preceptor by providing steps and guidance with conducting a successful residency research project. Items such as idea generation, proposing the right type of project, departmental review, and project management skills are discussed and guidance with writing the research protocol is provided. Items that must be addressed in every research protocol are described and a generalized protocol template is presented. In addition, the institutional review board review process is described and tips and pointers for obtaining approval are included. Finally, useful tools and resources are provided that can be used up front or throughout each phase of the research project.