Building a ‘Virtual Library’: continuing a global collaboration to strengthen research capacity within Nepal and other low- and middle-income countries

Figures & data

Figure 1. Overview of the process for creating the Virtual Library.

This figure shows an overview of the step by step process our global interprofessional team used to develop the Virtual Library. Each step is described in detail in the manuscript. RSG = Resource screening guide.

Table 1. Virtual library topic, guiding question, and search query for a sample of selected topics.

Topic: An Introduction to Clinical Research: The Research Process and GoalsGuiding Question: Why do we conduct clinical research and how do we create a plan to complete the research?Search Query: (introduction OR basics) AND (‘clinical trials’ OR ‘clinical research’)
Topic: Reviewing the LiteratureGuiding Question: How to understand what is known about your research topic and what research is needed.Search Query: (introduction OR ‘how to’) AND ‘literature review’
Topic: Ethical Issues/Considerations: OverviewGuiding Question: What ethical issues are important to consider when we conduct human subject research?Search Query: (ethical OR ethics) AND (‘human subjects research’ OR ‘human research’)

Table 2. Final version of the Virtual Library resource screening guide (using google forms, with the ‘quiz’ feature).

Instructions: This guide screens resources on four criteria: Relevant, Reputable, Accessible, and Understandable. The guide scores resources on an 8 (if not a video) or 10 (if video) point scale (0, worst; 8/10, best). The guide also asks the reviewer to give their subjective opinion of whether they think the resource should be included in the Virtual Library, regardless of how it scores.
Questions	Point Value
1. Name of reviewer (select from dropdown)
2. What is the Virtual Library topic category for this resource? (select from dropdown; 47 choices including ‘Other/unsure’)
3. Title of Resource (cut and paste exact title)
4. URL of Resource (cut and paste exact web address)
5. Did you change/add any search terms from the suggested search strategy? (yes/no) a. If yes, please record your revised/updated search terms here (copy and paste the new search).
6. Which database did you search? (GCS, YouTube, Google)
7. Video details (if found on YouTube) a. Is the creator/originator of the video reputable? (for example, the creator’s website ends in .gov, .edu, .np or .org) b. How long is the video? c. Are accurate ‘closed captions’ available?	1 if Yes 1 if Yes
Relevant
8. Is the resource useful to conduct research in Nepal (or similar settings)?	1 if Yes
9. Which statements are TRUE about the resource? (check all that apply) a. The resource uses multiple examples or references specific to Nepal or similar countries. b. The resource uses multiple examples or references specific to the U.S. or similar countries. c. The resource assumes access to advanced resources or technology. d. The research is about best practices or core research principles that could apply to any setting. e. Other/None of the above f. If you selected ‘Other/None of the above,’ please describe the resource and its relevance to Nepal/LMICs in your own words.
Reputable
10. Is the content current (updated within past 5–7 years)?	1 if Yes
11. Is there potential bias, commercial, or political interest?	1 if No
Accessible
12. Is an account required to access content?	1 if No
13. Is payment required to access resource?	1 if No
Understandable
14. Is the resource helpful and useful to a beginner or new researcher? (for example, is it a primer, introduction, overview, or a ‘how-to’ guide?)	1 if Yes
15. Is the language clear and simple? (for example, not too technical or complicated)?	1 if Yes
Reviewer Recommendation
16. What sub-category of the website does this resource belong in?
17. How easy was it for you to review this resource?
18. In your opinion, should this resource be included in the Virtual Library?	1 if Yes
19. Please record any questions, comments, or concerns about this resource.

Table 3. Guiding heuristic describing how team members could appraise the objective scoring of the Resource Screening Guide (RSG) against their subjective judgment to decide what to include in the Virtual Library.

Subjective Decision vs. Objective Score	High RSG Score +	Low RSG Score -
Yes, recommend inclusion in VL +	Include +/+	Maybe +/-
No, do not recommend inclusion in VL -	Maybe -/+	Exclude -/-

Table 4. Summary of resource evaluation guide scores.

Overall Screening	Frequency (Percent)	Mean Score (out of 10)
Total resources screened by RSG	564 (100%)	7.02
Resources Screened per Database
Google Custom Search	227 (40.3%)	6.43
YouTube	201 (35.6%)	7.86
Google*	136 (24.1%)	7.46
Video details (n = 201)
	‘Yes’	‘No’	‘Unsure’
Reputable creator	73 (36.3%)	98 (48.8%)	30 (14.9%)
Closed Captions available	114 (56.7%)	74 (36.8%)	13 (6.5%)
	<15	16–30	31+
Length of video (count by minutes)	143 (71.1%)	33 (16.4%)	25 (12.4%)
Quality Criteria Details
Relevant	‘Yes’	‘No’ or ‘Unsure’
Useful in Nepal/LMIC	437 (77.5%)	127 (22.5%)
Which statements are true about the resource? (Select all that apply)			Frequency
Focuses on best practices/core principle			54
References U.S./Western context			15
Assumes access to advanced resources or technology			8
Other reason**			22
Reputable	‘Yes’	‘No’	‘Maybe’ or ‘Unsure’
Current (5–7 years)	431 (76.4%)	78 (13.8%)	55 (9.8%)
Potential bias	28 (4.9%)	455 (80.7%)	81 (14.4%)
Accessible	‘Yes’	‘No’
Account required	24 (4.3%)	540 (95.7%)
Payment required	19 (3.4%)	545 (96.6%)
Understandable	‘Yes’	Unsure	No
Useful to beginner	476 (84.4%)	57 (10.1%)	31 (5.5%)
Language clear and simple	488 (86.5%)	53 (9.4%)	23 (4.1%)
Subjective Reviewer Feedback
	Very Easy/Easy	Neutral	Difficult/Very Difficult
Ease of review	390 (69.2%)	146 (25.9%)	27 (4.9%)
	‘Yes’	‘No’	‘Maybe’ or ‘Review with team’
In your opinion, should this resource be included in the Virtual Library?	392 (67.2%)	74 (3.1%)	112 (19.9%)

RSG = Resource Screening Guide. LMIC = Low- and middle-income countries.

*Google was not used after the RSG was iterated by the team.

**Open response/free text question. ‘Other reasons’ (n = 22) given for a resource not being relevant were most often related to being aimed at a specific general audience (e.g. students attending a specific school, patients and families, consumers of products) and not for health researchers.

Table 5. Virtual Library site map with counts of resources screened versus included.

Topics and sub-topics	Number of resources screened using RSG (n = 564)	Number of peer-reviewed resources included in VL (n = 298)
Research Basics
Introduction to Clinical Research
The Research Process and Goals	20	5
Initial Steps
Developing a Research Question	10	6
Putting Together Your Team	10	5
Reviewing the Literature	15	12
Choosing a Study Design and Approach
Overview of Research Study Designs	9	5
Community Based Participatory Research	16	6
Meta-Analysis/Systematic Review	9	7
Qualitative
Overview of Qualitative Research	18	9
Case Reports	5	4
Ethnography	20	4
Quantitative
Overview of Quantitative Research	19	7
Experimental/Intervention Studies
Overview of Experimental Research	3	6
Clinical Trials	8	9
Randomized Controlled Trials	13	5
Observational Studies
Overview of Observational Research*	–	10
Case Control Studies	19	8
Cohort Studies	21	10
Cross-sectional Studies	22	10
Ethical Considerations
Overview of Ethical Considerations	24	5
Institutional Review Boards	14	8
Nepal Health Research Council^	–	–
Writing a Research Protocol	6	4
Data Analysis
Qualitative Data Analysis	18	6
Quantitative Data Analysis	14	5
Sharing Your Results
Overview of Sharing Results	16	5
Publishing in Academic Journals
Selecting a Journal	27	9
International and Ethical Standards for Authors	20	9
Writing a Cover Letter	10	6
Preparing and Submitting a Manuscript	10	8
Preparing the Response to Reviewers/Responding to Feedback	10	9
Scholarly Presentations
Selecting the Conference/Venue	12	7
How to Prepare and Submit an Abstract	17	6
Preparing a Poster	17	8
Preparing an Oral or Podium Presentation	26	10
Special Topics
Implementation Science	5	5
Mobile Health (‘mHealth’)	20	19
Non-Communicable Disease Research	5	4
Securing Funding
Funding Options	8	7
Preparing and Submitting the Application	9	11
Grant/Project Management	2	10
Research Capacity Building
Overview of Research Capacity Building	17	6
The NAPCare-UVA Collaboration^	–	–
Other Examples*	–	3
Other Helpful Resources^	–	–

RSG = Resource Screening Guide

^These resources were added based on recommendation of team members and other expert opinion, and thus were not put through the RSG.

*These categories were not on the original topic list, but emerged after the resource search was completed as team members were creating the webpage templates.

Data availability statement

De-identified, aggregated data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and in compliance with institutional data sharing protocols.