Sharmeen Amin  ( 3rd Year Student, Sindh Medical College (SMC), Karachi. )

Madam, the journal\\\'s noteworthy \\\'Learning Research\\\' series is proving to be a great aid to medical undergraduate students. It is not just affecting students from Pakistan but from other regions as well. Here, I would like to share as experience of attending another Journal of Pakistan Medical Assocaition\\\'s (JPMA) teaching endeavor, the Pakistan Medical Association\\\'s Junior Journal Club (PMA-JJC) conducted with the Cochrane Collaboration.
Many research related matters were not clear to us even though our university has incorporated it in our curriculum. Disciplines of researching and referencing are fundamental for strong journalistic practices.¹ As physicians we play multiple roles in our society. Informing our peers of our clinical experiences through research is one of them. Research finds possible solutions to our problems.² As what we determine through our research projects adds to the information bank of science, we should be ethical and devoted.
We as undergraduate students learnt the basis of research and its importance during our PMA-JJC classes. They were enlightening and grabbed my attention towards medical research. During our classes we were taught about diverse search engines and how to benefit from them. We were trained not only to read but also do scientific critic on articles. We were encouraged to read so that we can lead the publishing arena.³ In addition, we were trained regarding writing case reports, original articles and much more.
After our formal training, we found medical research to be different as we now have the vision to see it from a different angle. Initially it seemed difficult and unachievable. However, now it seems simple and easy to do with a step-wise, clear approach. It has added much to our professional development for our undergraduate, graduate and post graduate expectations.² After my classes I gained so much interest in the field of research that I travelled overseas to work on a research project at Johns Hopkins Hospital.In a few incidences my knowledge about certain research aspects was surprising for my fellow researchers. PMA-JJC prevented me from being stereotyped as not knowing much about research as an undergraduate student from Pakistan. As a result, I am currently working on some clinical researches,case reports and review articles utilizing the knowledge I gained in the United States. I hope more training opportunities such as PMA-JJC will be designed for undergraduates so our medical students can advent disease treatments and explore new horizons.

1. Traynor MCM. Writer\\\'s tip: The importance of research and referencing. (Online) 2009 May 9. (Cited 2012 September 20). Available from URL: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/170966-br-writers-tip-the-importance-of-research-and-referencing?search_query=The%20importance%20of%20research%20and%20referencing.
2. The importance of research- Why we do research. (Online) 2009 Feb 27. (Cited 2012 Sep 20). Available from URL: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/the-importance-of-research-why-we-do-research-793360.html.
3. Ejaz K, Naqvi H. Readers are leaders in publishing. J Pak Med Assoc 2012; 62: 303.