Money is Not Enough EDWARD D. FREE, M.D.* As an outgrowth of discussions at a recent re- search committee meeting, I was asked to* write these comments on "Improving the QuaIity of Young Investigators." The topic obviously is not one that admits of easy or immediate soIutions, especially since many of the quaIities of a good in- vdtigator, such as curiosity, drive, intellect and desire for excelIence, are in Iarge measure inborn. However, if these comments stimulate others to air their views and make constructive sugges- tions, they will have served their purpose. Below are listed some of the pitfalls that trap many young investigators. No doubt you can think of others: I 1. He reworks old problems without bringing fresh ideas or methods to their solution. 2. He fails to review the literature thoroughIy and so repeats what has already been done. 3. He substitutes equipment for ideas and becomes a technician. 4. He fails to concentrate his time on the research endeavour. 5. He is too quickly discouraged and lacks resourcefulness in overcoming technical diffi- cukies. 6. He may be overly ambitious and ittempts projects beyond his capabilities in training. 7. Or, he may select projects that are trivial and pedestrian. 8. He fails to recognize faulty technique and artifacts. 9. He draws general conclusions from spe- ciafized modeIs or from nonphysiologic experi- ments. 10. He has a poor understanding of statisti- cal analysis. He utilizes inappropriate or no controls. He fails to use statistical tests when needed or uses them improperly. He draws wrong conclusions from statistical tests, such as placing too much confidence OR negative re- s&s with small-sized sample. The fact is, that whiie the young investigator is often Iong on money, he is short on two impor- tant ingredients: training and experience. o Senior Medical fnvestigato;, Veterans Adminis- tration, Washington, D. C. Role of Granting Agency In the matter of training, granting agencies could play a more active role. Probably the most important influence in the training of a young investigator is the preceptor. Talented people in the hands of an inspiring preceptor result in good investigators. Too often this important job is left to a busy department head who is so immersed in his administrative problems that he cannot pro- vide the required day-to-day guidance and stimu- lation, Granting agencies should devote more effort to identifying successful preceptors and concentrate? their awards on them. Let these pre- ceptors pick their junior investigators. Further, granting agencies might encourage the junior ap- plicant fo. apply to successful preceptors. The latter can' be identified by the records of their graduate trainees. It is not difficuIt, for exampIe, to recognize from the accomplishments of his former fellows, that Carl Wiggers was a `most effective preceptor. In passing, it should be noted that the most glamorous established investigators need not be the most successful preceptors. Granting agencies aISo couId use other mecha- nisms for improving the quaIity of young inves- tigators. A recent survey (1) has shown that ap- proximately 70 per cent of papers published in leading medical joumaIs exhibited deficiencies in experimental design and in the application of sta- tistical methods. Most cIinica1 investigators are recruited from residencies and have had little or no exposure to research. dranting agencies couId organize short but intensive courses in experi- mental design and statistical analysis. Young in- vestigators would meet and spend the first week of their award period Ieamfng the basic concepts of the experimental method as they appiy to clini- cal research. Another area where formarized training may help is in the technique of medical writing. Work- shop sessions should be organized on a regional or nations1 basis by the granting agencies near the end of the investigatorship when, hopefully, reports of completed work would be forthcom- ing. `fo these sessions the young investigators would bring their manuscripts for critical review, not only as to content but also as to style, clarity, organization, and the other elements that make 8 CLIiWXL RESEARCR for good scientific reporting. The faculty may ing money is not enough. Also provided must be .= include science writers as weTl as experienced in- the climate and the facilities for adequate training vestigafors. and development. As Irvine Page has said, too many young in- vestigators do pedestrian research at the tax- REFERENCE payers' expense. "It is too easy to hire two tech- 1. Schor, S., and Karten, I.: Statistical evaluation gf nicians and a secretary when the investigators are medical journal manuscripts. JAMA 195:%1.% little more than technicians themselves." Supply- 1960.