Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, and Barriers Facing Medical Students Regarding Scientific Research: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Scientific research is a fundamental element for practicing evidence-based medicine and improving the quality of healthcare services. Exposure to training programs and workshops in research is critical in the medical curriculum. Objective: To evaluate knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers toward research and assess research participation experience among medical students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on students at Wasit University, College of Medicine. A simple random sampling procedure was used to recruit students from 3rd-year students onwards. A self-administered questionnaire comprising 33 questions, categorized into five parts (personal data, knowledge, attitudes, practice, and possible barriers), was used for data collection. Results: 360 participants completed the forms. The knowledge score was on the lower margin (3.86 on 10 questions); adequate knowledge was reported in 37.8%. Most of the students (89.7%) had a highly positive attitude towards scientific research. Approximately 55.6% of students had experience in research activities, while 9.7% of students had published articles. The students declared many perceived barriers, including a lack of time (70.3%) and a lack of knowledge and appropriate skills (56.9%). Conclusions: Even though the students have a good attitude towards research, they had an inadequate knowledge score. The integration of research workshops and training programs into the undergraduate curriculum may help to improve the student’s knowledge and practices.