FINER Criteria

FINER criteria (Hulley et al., 2013) serve as a reality check for research questions: F — Feasible: Can you actually do this study? Consider: sample size (can you recruit enough patients?), technical expertise (do you have the skills?), time (can you finish in the available timeframe?), budget (can you afford it?), and scope (is the question narrow enough?). I — Interesting: Does this question excite you and others? A question that bores you will be abandoned halfway. It should also be interesting to the scientific community and potential funders. N — Novel: Does this question add something new? Check whether the question has already been answered (search PubMed first). Novelty can come from: a new population, a new comparison, a new outcome, or challenging an accepted finding. E — Ethical: Can this study be conducted ethically? Would an IRB/ethics committee approve it? Can patients give informed consent? Are the risks proportional to the potential benefits? R — Relevant: Does the answer matter? Will it change clinical practice, inform guidelines, improve patient outcomes, or advance scientific understanding? This connects directly to the 'so what?' test from Lesson 4. The most common killer of beginner research ideas is F — Feasibility. New researchers often propose studies that would require thousands of patients, years of follow-up, or equipment they do not have. Always check F first.