Every emergency medicine residency program tells its trainees to pursue scholarly activity. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires it. But most programs offer little, if any, protected time to actually do it. The result is a familiar gap: residents who want academic careers are expected to produce scholarship in the margins of a clinical schedule that leaves no margins.

The good news is that a meaningful research portfolio doesn’t require a research track or a fellowship safety net. It requires strategy.

Define Your Target, Then Build Backward

Before committing to any project, residents should clarify what “research portfolio” means for their specific career goal. A competitive critical care fellowship application demands different evidence of scholarship than a community academic position. An aspiring clinician-educator needs different curriculum vitae (CV) lines than a bench researcher.

This distinction matters because it determines where to invest limited hours. Starting with the end in mind prevents the most common mistake: saying yes to any available project regardless of fit.

A Tiered Project Strategy

Not all scholarly projects require the same investment. A tiered approach lets residents maintain momentum across multiple timelines.

• • Tier 1 projects have a low barrier to entry and teach the mechanics of academic writing. Case reports, clinical images for journal submission, and letters to the editor can move from concept to submission in weeks. They won’t anchor a CV, but they build comfort and early fluency with the publication process. Additionally, early wins can influence motivation.
  • Tier 2 projects offer stronger returns for moderate effort. Secondary analyses of publicly available datasets such as National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey or the National Emergency Medical Services Information System, systematic reviews, and survey studies don’t require months of prospective data collection or complex IRB protocols. A well-executed systematic review with meta-analysis can become a highly cited publication with a fraction of the time investment of original research.¹

• • Tier 3 projects include prospective studies, clinical trials, and qualitative research, and they carry the highest risk of not finishing during residency. Residents should pursue these selectively, with a clear question, an engaged mentor, and realistic infrastructure support. Critically, a stalled Tier 3 project shouldn’t leave the CV empty. Running projects across tiers simultaneously provides insurance.²

Mine What You’re Already Doing

Residents generate raw material for scholarship every week without recognizing it. Quality improvement initiatives with measurable outcomes are suitable for publishing when framed using Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence reporting guidelines.³ A novel simulation case or ultrasound curriculum, published with learner outcome data, fits journals like AEM Education and Training. A compelling M&M case already contains a literature review and a teaching point; half the work of a case report is already done.