Laying the foundation for success: A guide to pharmacy residency research projects

Thousands of pharmacy graduates in the United States enter postgraduate pharmacy residency programs each year in various practice settings. While these programs primarily focus on clinical training, residents must also complete longitudinal projects, often in the form of research. However, programs and residents face challenges in the execution of research, including time constraints, limited resources, and variable expertise, often contributing to project redundancy and low publication rates. This paper provides a guide to the early planning phases of structuring a successful residency research project. Using the analogy of building a house, we outline essential steps, including necessary resources from programs, as well as the value of rigorous research questions, literature reviews, and study design. We emphasize the importance of feasible project scope, institutional support, and effective mentorship.