Writing a synopsis

Presented by : Dr. Pratik Ranjan Nayak

Guided by : Dr. Sandeep K. Panigrahi
 Session outline
 What is synopsis?
 Proforma of synopsis at SOA
 Title of study
 Research question
 Hypothesis and Objectives
 Materials and methods
 Ethical approval
 References
 Timeline for the research
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 What is synopsis?
 According to Cambridge Dictionary Online, “ a short
description of the contents of something such as a
book or a film.”
 It is also known as abstract or outline.
 It is a requirement for formal registration to
universities for award of degree or doctorate.

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 Title
 It should summarise the topic.
 It should be brief, but adequate.
 It should not contain name of institution or number of
cases to be studied.
 It can contain hypothesis.
 It may contain study design.
 The title may be finalized after the research
question and study objectives of the research has
been set

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 Background
 It includes background information about the
research, or in short it is INTRODUCTION to the
topic
 It goes along hand in hand with the research question
in mind.
 In short it is introduction to the rationale behind the
research
 It may also highlight investigator(s) details including
department and institute name or any sponsor of study

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 Study Rationale
 It should explain why the selected topic is worthy of
further exploration.
 It should demonstrate your knowledge of main areas
of debate around that topic.
 It should show how your proposed research would
contribute to/further that debate.

 Eg. Air pollution is a leading problem in urban areas,

and is a major cause of COPD in the long run and a
risk factor for acute LRTI. Bhubaneswar is a smart
city and may not be spared in this process.
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 Research question
 First ask yourself :

• Do I know about the field and literature well?

• What are the important research questions in this
field?
• Could this study fill a gap in knowledge?
• Can I give additional information to similar studies
done before?

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 Good research question
 It should be :

Feasible
Interesting
Novel
Ethical
Relevant

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 Components of research question
 Rationale of study
 Population to be studied
 Intervention/Exposure to be investigated
 Outcome expected

 Example – Does air pollution lead to more hospital

admissions of children aged 1-5 years with acute
lower respiratory infection residing in slum areas of
Bhubaneswar?

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 Hypothesis
 It is an assumption.
 Two types – null and alternate
 It should summarise :
• Population to be studied
• Intervention or predictor
• Control or comparator
• Outcome
 Alternate hypothesis is always used in synopsis.

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 Example
 Null hypothesis: There is no significant relation
between air pollution and hospital admissions of
children aged 1-5 years with acute lower respiratory
tract infection in residents of slums in Bhubaneswar.

 Alternate hypothesis: Exposure to air pollution leads

to increased hospital admissions of children aged 1-5
years with acute lower respiratory tract infection in
residents of slums in Bhubaneswar.

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 Study objectives
 These are “clear, concise, declarative statements,
which provide direction to investigate the variables.”
 These are results, the researcher wants to achieve at
the end of study.
 It can answer the research question or test the
research hypothesis.
 It helps the researcher better focus on study and avoid
collecting unnecessary data with regard to the
problem he/she has defined.

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 Study objectives
 Characteristics of objectives are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

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 Example
 To find out correlation of PM 2.5 levels with acute
lower respiratory tract infection during period of Jan
2015 to Dec 2019.

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 Title
 Now we can finalize a title
 Example: Cross – sectional study on assessment of
hospital admission of children aged 1-5 years with
acute lower respiratory infection due to air pollution.

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 Review of literature
 It is a “systematic method for identifying, evaluating,
and interpreting the work produced by researchers,
scholars and practitioners.”
 It consists of information seeking and critical
appraisal to find gap in knowledge.
 Sources of information are books, journals,
dissertation/thesis, conference proceedings, annual
reports, news reports and views from experts.
 It is conducted at each and every step of research.

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 Example
 Liu J, et al did research on association between
ambient PM 2.5 and children’s hospital admissions
for respiratory diseases in China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Jun 21. doi:
10.1007/s11356-019-05644-7. [Epub ahead of print]

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 Materials and Methods
 Study design
 Study setting including study population
 Sampling and sample size
 Study tool
 Data analysis including expected outputs

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 Study Design
 It is “ a specific plan or protocol for conducting the
study, which allows the investigator to translate the
conceptual hypothesis into a operational one.”
 It is of two types : Qualitative and Quantitative
 Qualitative study is used to gain an understanding of
underlying reasons, opinions and provides an insight
into problem.
 Quantitative study on the other hand, generates data
that can be converted to usable statistics.

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 Did the investigator assign exposure?
Yes No

Experimental study Observational study

Random allocation Comparison group

Yes No Yes No

Randomized Non-Randomized Analytical Descriptive

control trial control trial Study Study

Cohort Study Case Cross-

Control Sectional
Study Study
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 Study setting
 It includes institution/place, facilities available, time
duration of study, and population to be studied.
 Example:
• Inclusion criteria: All children aged 1-5 years
• Exclusion criteria: Critically ill children and those
whose mother is unwilling to participate

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 Sampling and sample size
A sample is a “part or a subset of a population.” It can be
done by probability and non-probability methods.
 Probability: Simple random, systematic, stratified, cluster
 Non-probability: Convenience, judgmental, quota,
snowball.
 Sample size should be adequate to produce meaningful
results and so that all relevant tests of statistical
significance can be applied.
 The samples should be representative of the population
and should be reliable.

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 Variables
“A variable, also called an attribute, is a characteristic
that can vary, i.e. it may take different values in
different persons, places or things.”
 Main sources are:

• Experiments
• Surveys
• Records

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 Continued…
 There are four types of variables:

• Continuous
• Quantitative
Discrete
• Ordinal
Qualitative
• Nominal
 Example: Qualitative data will be used in this case
as it is nominal/dichotomous data. A child either has
acute lower respiratory tract infection or not.

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 Study tools
 Some examples of methods that can be used by
researchers to collect data:

• Questionnaire
• Interviews
• Medical examination
• Laboratory investigations

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 Data analysis
 Data entry methods are spelled out – Eg. Using MS
Excel, Epicollect or any other tool.
 Statistical tests employed for data analysis are to be
declared. Eg. Correlation analysis for PM2.5 with the
number of hospital admissions due to Acute LRTI.
 Methods of statistical analysis has to be written. Eg.
Manual data analysis or using any statistical package
like SPSS, Stata, etc.

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 Data analysis
 Expected outcomes of the study can be mentioned
under the same section, or sometimes in a separate
section.
 Eg. Hospital prevalence of acute LRTI.
 Trend of air pollution in Bhubaneswar in last 5 years
 Trends of hospital admission among children 1 to 5
years in Bhubaneswar due to Acute LRTI.
 Degree of correlation between PM2.5 and Acute
LRTI

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 Ethics
 Four basic principles :
• Autonomy
• Non - maleficence
• Beneficence
• Justice

 Institutional ethics committee clearance is required

for all research.

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 Example
 In this case, informed written consent will be
obtained from mother and/or head of family.
 Confidentiality will be maintained.
 Mothers will be informed that they could discontinue
their participation at any given time without giving
any reason.

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 References
 Two commonly used styles are Vancouver and
Harvard.
 Vancouver style:
• If from text book: Author(s)/Editor, title(in italics),
edition, place of publication, publisher’s name, year
of publication
• If from journal: Author(s) of the article, title of the
article, title of the journal (in italics), year of
publication, volume, issue number, page number

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 Continued…
 Banerjee B(ed.)Mahajan’s Methods in Biostatistics
for Medical Students and Research Workers. 9th
edition. Haryana: Jaypee Brothers Medical
Publishers, 2018
 Betkerur J. Guidelines for writing a research project
synopsis or protocol. Indian J Dermatol Venereol
Leprol[serial online] 2008 [cited 2019 Jun 24]; 74:
687-90. Available from:
http://www.ijdvl.com/text.asp?2008/74/6/687/45136

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 Time line for the study
  Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Activity Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2
Finalizing synopsis                    
Review of literature                    
Ethical approval                    
Study tool finalization                    
Data collection                    
Data analysis                    
Thesis writing                    
Editing and proof reading                    
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 Thank
YOU

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