Knowledge attitudes and practices related to research culture among medical undergraduate students in Lahore Pakistan

Research plays a crucial role in the advancement of medical students and the improvement of healthcare delivery methods. A high score is a positive sign of a country’s level of scientific progress. Unfortunately, a clear gap exists in medical research in Pakistan, particularly within medical colleges in Lahore. The purpose of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceived obstacles to research among medical students in Lahore, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 276 undergraduate medical students from four public medical colleges in Lahore, Pakistan. Non-random convenience sampling via online questionnaire (n = 276/300 approached, 92% response) was used. Data were collected through a validated online questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers toward research. The knowledge section comprised eight dichotomous items (KR-20 = 0.69), while attitude and barrier sections contained ten Likert-scale items each (Cronbach’s α = 0.69 and 0.74). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis) and Spearman’s correlations were applied. The mean knowledge score was 31.1 ± 25.4%, with 84.4% of students showing poor knowledge. Females (p = 0.017, r = 0.14) and those who attended research workshops (p < 0.001, r = 0.25) scored significantly higher. Attitude scores were near the scale midpoint (mean 1.65 ± 0.18 on a 3-point scale), indicating generally neutral to mildly positive perceptions toward research and low barriers overall (1.18/3.0), though time/supervision endorsed by > 38%, with workshop attendees reporting fewer barriers (p = 0.004, r = 0.17). No significant correlations were found between knowledge, attitude, and barriers. The results indicate that there is a need to promote research education along with medical education. These findings suggest the potential value of structured research training, mentorship, and institutional support to address observed knowledge gaps.