Soft Skills Course:
Responsible research methods: From hypothesis to publication
Date
23 - 24 February & 2 March 2026
Organizer
Rosella Visintin (IEO)
Location
IEO Campus, Via Adamello 16 - Milan
About the Course
The course aims to provide students with the necessary tools to approach scientific research in a conscious and responsible manner. The course is interactive and alternates between theoretical lectures and practical sessions. Students will learn to critically evaluate the scientific literature, design experiments starting from the formulation of the experimental hypothesis, analyze data rigorously, and identify the principles and responsibilities required of every researcher throughout the research process, from experiment planning to data publication. The course includes a dedicated module on research integrity, addressing questionable practices and misconduct through real-world examples and case studies.
Total number of hours: 14 hours
Lessons Location: Silver Room, bld. 13, 3rd floor
9:30 – 12:30
Critical reading of the literature
– Mastering Scientific Reading and Literature Reviews
– How to prepare effective Journal Clubs
14:00 – 17:00
Experimental Design
– From question to Conclusion: Designing and Interpreting Scientific Experiments – Case Study
– Good Scientific Practice: Conducting Experiments and Managing Data
Lessons Location: Silver Room, bld. 13, 3rd floor
11:00 – 13:00
Research integrity
– Shared values in scientific research
– Gender diversity in scientific experiments (held by Susanna Chiocca)
14:30 – 17:30
Scientific integrity vs scientific misconduct
– Irresponsible research practices: Generating and manipulating data
– Famous cases of alleged scientific misconduct
– Time management
Lessons location: Coral & Gold Rooms, bld. 13, 3rd floor
Practicals
14:30-17:30
Biomedical research today is inherently multidisciplinary. Clinical trials, laboratory experiments, computational models, and ethical analyses often address the same medical questions — but they use different methods, standards of evidence, and forms of reasoning.
To engage critically with modern science, students must learn not only scientific content, but also how different disciplines construct and justify knowledge.
The following exercises build these skills step by step.
Exercise 1 – Analyzing the Structure and Logic of a Scientific Paper
In this exercise, students analyze one scientific paper in detail.
The goal is NOT to focus on mastering the topic itself. Instead, students learn how to critically read a research paper by examining:
– How the paper is structured
– How evidence is presented
– How results are organized
– How arguments are developed
– Whether the conclusions are supported by the data
This exercise builds foundational skills in understanding the relationship between study design, evidence, and conclusions within a single paper.
Exercise 2 – Comparing Scientific Paper Styles Across Disciplines
In this exercise, students examine four scientific papers from different areas of biomedical research:
– A randomized clinical trial
– An experimental (mechanistic) laboratory study
– A computational or modeling study
– A bioethics or philosophy of medicine paper
The goal is NOT to understand every technical detail. Instead, students focus on how disciplinary perspective shapes:
– The structure and style of the paper
– What counts as evidence
– How claims are supported
– What kind of conclusions can legitimately be drawn
This exercise highlights how study design determines the type of knowledge a paper can produce and why understanding different scientific “languages” is essential in multidisciplinary research.