It is no longer a rarity for undergraduate medical students to conduct a research project, present it at a scientific conference and publish it as an abstract or a full paper. The proponents for undergraduate research believe that learning about research makes better doctors, with a more critical reading of the literature and clinical research evidence. To complete a research project and to present it at a conference or publish it as a paper motivates the student to take the research to a higher level. It gives a sense of achievement and may induce the student to conduct research after becoming a doctor, to obtain a higher degree or even become an academic.

The benefits of early exposure to research are tangible, but whether it is …