Enhancing research capacity among students in Nigeria: insights from a 24-week online training program for undergraduate medical and dental clinical students

Medical and dental school training provides limited research exposure due to the extensive curriculum. This study aimed to explore students’ perception of a 24-week virtual training initiative on manuscript writing for medical and dental students. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of 20 clinical medical and dental undergraduate dental surgery students who participated in a virtual manuscript writing training in Nigeria. Participants were selected from 45 applicants through a competitive process, ensuring gender and geographical diversity. The program included fortnightly lectures, monthly statistics classes, mentorship, and group assignments, culminating in the submission of reflective essays. These essays were inductively analyzed to identify key themes related to skill development, mentorship, challenges, and program impact, with coding independently conducted by two reviewers to enhance rigor. Of the 20 participants who completed the program, 19 submitted reflective essays. Participants, primarily undergraduate medicine and surgery (55%) and undergraduate dental surgery (45%) students from 11 Nigerian institutions, highlighted improvements in research skills, mentorship experiences, and collaboration through the structured training. Four themes emerged: program strengths (skills development, mentorship, interactive learning), challenges (time management, technology issues, program design), impact (increased confidence, research interest, networking, career development), and recommendations (program adjustments and inclusivity). Participants reported tangible outcomes by the program’s end, including research protocol submissions, grant applications, literature review registrations, and national conference presentations. Despite challenges, participants acknowledged the training’s positive impact on their academic and professional growth. The program’s ability to equip students with essential research and writing skills highlights its potential as a scalable model for strengthening research capacity among undergraduate clinical students in resource-limited settings. Undergraduate medicine and surgery and undergraduate dental surgery students’ curricula can integrate the core elements of the current program that contributed to its success into ongoing training programs.