Exploring Advice-Seeking Dynamics in Undergraduate Medical Research: A Social Network Analysis

Abstract Purpose Research achievement thrives on collaboration, often facilitated by mentorship. To understand how these meaningful interactions promote research productivity, this study investigates the dynamics of undergraduate peer-to-peer and student-to-advisor advice-seeking behaviors using social network analysis (SNA). SNA provides a valuable quantitative lens to map social structures and reveal potential collaborative opportunities and barriers. Method Cross-sectional surveys on advice-seeking behavior were collected from 95 medical students enrolled in the research program from 2016 to 2023. The data were obtained from medical students awarded research presentations and publication grants. SNA was used to visualize the dynamics of advice-seeking behaviors and research community structure. Path analysis and subgroup analysis were then conducted to identify influential success factors. Results SNA revealed a shift towards decentralized advice-seeking behaviors and a rising trend in peer-to-peer advice-seeking. Our analysis identified modularity or group formation as a key social mechanism that mediated the number of projects by 20.41% (p = 0.04). Students preferentially seek advice from those at a similar academic year and stage (preclinical vs. clinical), while gender and field of research interest did not show a significant impact. Subgroup analysis also revealed distinct variations in advice-seeking patterns among genders, academic stages, cohort statuses, and publication statuses. Discussion This study presents the first empirical exploration of advice-seeking dynamics within the undergraduate research community. Based on the network perspective, this study identifies group formation as a mediator toward research productivity that medical educators should consider. Moreover, studying advice-seeking behavior can unveil the influences of institutional policy and the hidden factors affecting undergraduate collaboration patterns. Encouraging research diversity and establishing a student research mentorship program can potentially promote research productivity and desirable outcomes.