Facilitators and Barriers to Undergraduate Research in a Research-Oriented Medical Curriculum: Insights from MinhoMD

Background Conducting research projects during undergraduate medical education is associated with the development of essential scientific and academic skills. MinhoMD offers a longitudinal research-oriented pathway in which students may complete supervised research projects during undergraduate medical training. Understanding students’ motivations, difficulties, and perceptions regarding research is crucial to optimize the implementation of this educational component. Aims To explore students’ motivations for enrolling in the Research Track (RT), factors influencing project and supervisor selection, challenges encountered during project development, and perceptions of preparedness to undertake the Master's Final Project among students enrolled in the RT and the Non-Research Track (NRT). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted across three components: a questionnaire assessing motivations, difficulties, and perceptions regarding the research projects; an analysis of Master’s Final Project grades across curricular pathways; and a self-efficacy questionnaire focused on the writing and defense of the Master’s Final Project according to the “Self-Efficacy for Writing and Defending Academic Texts Scale”. Results A total of 204 research projects from 113 students were analyzed, covering 42 different scientific areas. Clinical projects were considered more relevant for medical development (p = 0.005) (median = 8.00; IQR = 6.00–9.00) than fundamental projects (median = 7.0; IQR = 6.0–8.0). Compared with students on the NRT, those on the RT demonstrated greater proficiency in bibliographic research (p = 0.008), scientific writing and structure (p = 0.003), confidence in avoiding plagiarism (p = 0.022), and response to jury questions (p = 0.001). Conclusions Participation in undergraduate research projects was associated with higher self-perceived competence in conducting and communicating scientific work. Students considered these projects valuable educational experiences, highlighting the potential of structured research opportunities to foster scientific competencies and support evidence-informed medical training.