As a researcher, getting your work published in a scientific journal is important. Some might even argue that it is the bread and butter of researchers – after all, publications inform other researchers and interested parties about new ideas and concepts that have been explored and whether findings in these publications might be of interest for their own work. In some cases, a publication (like this new one from the SPRINT project) actually tells researchers what they plan to do. “What they plan to do?! How is this important? They haven’t even done it yet!” you might think.
Such research plans, called “protocols” might, at least at a first glance, seem like the fleas of research not worth being put through the publishing mill. Yet, publishing what researchers plan to do has become more and more popular and even a requisite for publishing certain studies later on in the research process. Maybe the most well-known example for this are protocols for literature studies (also called literature reviews) like scoping or systematic reviews. Not being subject to a lot of changes, these reviews are dedicated to identifying and analysing existing literature on a topic and are essential step in many research projects. Knowing what other researchers have found in their work and bringing this evidence together is not only essential to identify gaps new projects could address, but also to contribute to the literature on a certain topic. While there are many ways to do a literature review (e.g., rapid and narrative reviews) systematic reviews require that certain steps are followed to secure that the review is trustworthy and well executed. Creating and publishing a protocol is one of these important steps.
As Michelle is planning to do a mixed methods systematic review (which looks at qualitative AND quantitative evidence in literature) on characteristics of mental skills training interventions in dance, she and the supervisory team have spent the last few months carefully planning and creating such a protocol. After submitting the protocol to BMJ Open (a scientific journal), communicating with peer-reviewers and making suggested changes, the protocol was accepted for publication in July.
What is the protocol about and what is Michelle’s mixed methods systematic review going to do?
Image description: An infographic summarising the systematic review protocol.
An overview of the key points in the protocol
1. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of existing MST interventions, using the TIDieR framework to analyse the effectiveness and report gaps. The goal is to enhance future intervention designs and their replicability
2. Eligibility includes various study designs (RCTs, qualitative, mixed methods) and literature in English, French, German, and Scandinavian languages. The review will encompass peer-reviewed articles and grey literature
3. Participants include pre-professional, professional, and recreational dancers across all genres. The review excludes clinical populations, focusing instead on general dance settings.
4. Interventions must involve mental techniques or skills aimed at improving mental qualities like focus or well-being. Dance technique-focused studies will not be included.
5. The review will assess changes in performance, mental health, and symptoms of disorders like anxiety and depression. Various standardized scales will measure these outcomes.
6. Data will be extracted using the TIDieR checklist, ensuring a detailed comparison of intervention characteristics. The MMAT tool will assess the risk of bias in all included studies.
7. A convergent integrated approach will synthesize qualitative and quantitatively 'qualitised' data. The findings will offer a narrative on effective MST interventions and highlight underreported aspects
8. This MMSR aims to inform and enhance the design of future MST interventions in dance, supporting dancers' mental and physical health
Stay tuned for the final systematic review results, which promise to provide vital insights into optimizing dancers' performance and well-being through mental skills training!
Want to have a more detailed read of it all? You can find the protocol here.
Image credit: Michelle Schachtler Dwarika.
Written by Michelle Schachtler Dwarika, PhD Researcher in the SPRINT Project.
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