{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T19:53:08Z","timestamp":1781639588438,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]],"date-time":"2026-02-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772236800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775520000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":38,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Res Notes"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to explore the challenges and identify strategies to enhance participation in the Iranian Scientific Olympiad for Medical Students. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 28 participants, including students, faculty members, administrators, and Olympiad officials. Participants were purposively sampled, and data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured through reflexive practices and triangulation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Student participation was influenced by interconnected individual, structural, and process-related factors. Individual barriers included low self-confidence, competing academic and financial priorities, and limited intrinsic motivation. Structural challenges involved inequitable access to educational resources, insufficient institutional support, limited stakeholder involvement, and perceived lack of transparency in evaluation processes. Process-related barriers included frequent procedural changes, inadequate preparation opportunities, limited mentorship, and unclear feedback mechanisms. Suggested strategies included strengthening mentorship systems, improving transparency and fairness in assessment, increasing stakeholder involvement in decision-making, establishing sustainable institutional support, and developing a centralized and permanent information platform to enhance awareness and engagement.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s13104-026-07751-4","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]],"date-time":"2026-02-28T12:33:48Z","timestamp":1772282028000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Challenges and strategies to enhance participation in the Iranian medical students\u2019 scientific Olympiad: a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Mahdi","family":"Abbasi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Seyed Jamal","family":"Mirmousavi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mehdi","family":"Rabiei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sana","family":"Jafarlou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hamid","family":"Sadeghi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elham","family":"Navipour","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"7751_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1057\/s41271-022-00361-x","volume":"43","author":"R Makuku","year":"2022","unstructured":"Makuku R, Mosadeghrad AM. Health workforce retention in low-income settings: an application of the Root Stem Model. J Public Health Policy. 2022;43(3):445\u201355.","journal-title":"J Public Health Policy"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-021-07357-5","volume":"22","author":"M Krijgsheld","year":"2022","unstructured":"Krijgsheld M, Tummers LG, Scheepers FE. Job performance in healthcare: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022;22(1):149.","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"issue":"4","key":"7751_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.3390\/jintelligence6040049","volume":"6","author":"F Leutner","year":"2018","unstructured":"Leutner F, Chamorro-Premuzic T. Stronger together: Personality, intelligence and the assessment of career potential. J Intell. 2018;6(4):49.","journal-title":"J Intell"},{"key":"7751_CR4","unstructured":"Gagn\u00e9 F, editor. Building gifts into talents: Overview of the DMGT. Asia Pacific Conference for Giftedness 10th Conference, Asia-Pacific Federation of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Singapore; 2008."},{"issue":"4","key":"7751_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"304","DOI":"10.1016\/j.hrmr.2009.04.001","volume":"19","author":"DG Collings","year":"2009","unstructured":"Collings DG, Mellahi K. Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda. Hum resource Manage Rev. 2009;19(4):304\u201313.","journal-title":"Hum resource Manage Rev"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.1080\/02783193.2011.530202","volume":"33","author":"JR Campbell","year":"2010","unstructured":"Campbell JR, Walberg HJ. Olympiad studies: Competitions provide alternatives to developing talents that serve national interests. Roeper Rev. 2010;33(1):8\u201317.","journal-title":"Roeper Rev"},{"key":"7751_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"785","DOI":"10.1007\/s11165-014-9439-5","volume":"45","author":"A Sahin","year":"2015","unstructured":"Sahin A, Gulacar O, Stuessy C. High school students\u2019 perceptions of the effects of international science Olympiad on their STEM career aspirations and twenty-first century skill development. Res Sci Educ. 2015;45:785\u2013805.","journal-title":"Res Sci Educ"},{"issue":"3","key":"7751_CR8","first-page":"41","volume":"7","author":"H Hazrati","year":"2020","unstructured":"Hazrati H, Leila Vahedi M, Ghorbanian N, Zabihi A. Experiences of Selected Students in the Scientific Olympiad for Medical Students\u2013A Qualitative Study. Res Med Educ. 2020;7(3):41\u20139.","journal-title":"Res Med Educ"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"86","DOI":"10.4103\/jehp.jehp_700_20","volume":"10","author":"ME Hajinezhad","year":"2021","unstructured":"Hajinezhad ME, Yousefi A, Jowkar F. The eleventh scientific Olympiad of Iranian medical students: Challenges and solutions. J Educ Health Promotion. 2021;10(1):86.","journal-title":"J Educ Health Promotion"},{"issue":"4","key":"7751_CR10","first-page":"405","volume":"5","author":"A-A Saber","year":"2016","unstructured":"Saber A-A, Morteza G, Raha N, Sina Y, Leila V. Perspectives of faculty members toward Iranian National Olympiad for medical students: a qualitative study. Russian Open Med J. 2016;5(4):405.","journal-title":"Russian Open Med J"},{"issue":"3","key":"7751_CR11","first-page":"1311","volume":"14","author":"ME Hajinezhad","year":"2020","unstructured":"Hajinezhad ME, Yousefi A. Challenges Faced by the 11th Scientific Olympiad of the Iranian Medical Students: A Qualitative Study. Pakistan J Med Health Sci. 2020;14(3):1311\u20137.","journal-title":"Pakistan J Med Health Sci"},{"issue":"2017","key":"7751_CR12","first-page":"4690","volume":"107","author":"N Mohamad Sari","year":"2017","unstructured":"Mohamad Sari N, Esa A. Factors affecting students participation in extra-curricular. Elixir Psychol. 2017;107(2017):4690\u201346962.","journal-title":"Elixir Psychol"},{"issue":"2","key":"7751_CR13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.15171\/rdme.2015.030","volume":"4","author":"M Ghojazadeh","year":"2015","unstructured":"Ghojazadeh M, Hosseini MA, Azami-Aghdash S, Tahamtani T, Fardid M, Yaghoubi S. Effective holding of scientific olympiads for medical sciences students: A qualitative study. Res Dev Med Educ. 2015;4(2):171\u20136.","journal-title":"Res Dev Med Educ"},{"key":"7751_CR14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sandelowski M. Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in nursing & health. 2000;23(4):334\u2009\u2013\u200940.","DOI":"10.1002\/1098-240X(200008)23:4<334::AID-NUR9>3.0.CO;2-G"},{"issue":"9","key":"7751_CR15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1277","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732305276687","volume":"15","author":"H-F Hsieh","year":"2005","unstructured":"Hsieh H-F, Shannon SE. Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qual Health Res. 2005;15(9):1277\u201388.","journal-title":"Qual Health Res"},{"issue":"8","key":"7751_CR16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"652","DOI":"10.1177\/1744987120927206","volume":"25","author":"S Campbell","year":"2020","unstructured":"Campbell S, Greenwood M, Prior S, Shearer T, Walkem K, Young S, et al. Purposive sampling: complex or simple? Research case examples. J Res Nurs. 2020;25(8):652\u201361.","journal-title":"J Res Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1177\/1525822X05279903","volume":"18","author":"G Guest","year":"2006","unstructured":"Guest G, Bunce A, Johnson L. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field methods. 2006;18(1):59\u201382.","journal-title":"Field methods"},{"issue":"4","key":"7751_CR18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"314","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2929.2006.02418.x","volume":"40","author":"B DiCicco-Bloom","year":"2006","unstructured":"DiCicco-Bloom B, Crabtree BF. The qualitative research interview. Med Educ. 2006;40(4):314\u201321.","journal-title":"Med Educ"},{"issue":"9280","key":"7751_CR19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"483","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(01)05627-6","volume":"358","author":"K Malterud","year":"2001","unstructured":"Malterud K. Qualitative research: standards, challenges, and guidelines. lancet. 2001;358(9280):483\u20138.","journal-title":"lancet"},{"issue":"2","key":"7751_CR20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1177\/146879410200200205","volume":"2","author":"L Finlay","year":"2002","unstructured":"Finlay L. Negotiating the swamp: the opportunity and challenge of reflexivity in research practice. Qualitative Res. 2002;2(2):209\u201330.","journal-title":"Qualitative Res"},{"key":"7751_CR21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0147-1767(85)90062-8","volume-title":"Naturalistic inquiry","author":"YS Lincoln","year":"1985","unstructured":"Lincoln YS, Guba EG. Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park: Sage; 1985."},{"issue":"6","key":"7751_CR22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"349","DOI":"10.1093\/intqhc\/mzm042","volume":"19","author":"A Tong","year":"2007","unstructured":"Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007;19(6):349\u201357.","journal-title":"Int J Qual Health Care"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1742964","DOI":"10.1080\/10872981.2020.1742964","volume":"25","author":"H Wu","year":"2020","unstructured":"Wu H, Li S, Zheng J, Guo J. Medical students\u2019 motivation and academic performance: the mediating roles of self-efficacy and learning engagement. Med Educ Online. 2020;25(1):1742964.","journal-title":"Med Educ Online"},{"issue":"3","key":"7751_CR24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1080\/02796015.2002.12086158","volume":"31","author":"EA Linnenbrink","year":"2002","unstructured":"Linnenbrink EA, Pintrich PR. Motivation as an Enabler for Academic Success. School Psychol Rev. 2002;31(3):313\u201327.","journal-title":"School Psychol Rev"},{"issue":"6","key":"7751_CR25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"904","DOI":"10.1097\/ACM.0b013e3182971e06","volume":"88","author":"R Kusurkar","year":"2013","unstructured":"Kusurkar R, ten Cate O. AM last page: Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire: Self-determination theory and motivation in medical students. Acad Med. 2013;88(6):904.","journal-title":"Acad Med"},{"key":"7751_CR26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1625352","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1625352","volume":"12","author":"R Matos Sousa","year":"2025","unstructured":"Matos Sousa R, Santos M, Marangoni M, Pereira VH. Motivation in medical students: higher intrinsic motivation among graduate-entry students across academic stages. Front Med. 2025;12:1625352.","journal-title":"Front Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR27","first-page":"e20230192","volume":"77","author":"LPB Gueroni","year":"2023","unstructured":"Gueroni LPB, Pompeo DA, Eid LP, Ferreira J\u00fanior MA, Sequeira C, Louren\u00e7\u00e3o LG. Interventions for Strengthening General Self-Efficacy Beliefs in College Students: An Integrative Review. Rev Bras Enferm. 2023;77(1):e20230192.","journal-title":"Rev Bras Enferm"},{"issue":"6","key":"7751_CR28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"683","DOI":"10.1353\/csd.0.0099","volume":"50","author":"GD Kuh","year":"2009","unstructured":"Kuh GD. What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. J Coll student Dev. 2009;50(6):683\u2013706.","journal-title":"J Coll student Dev"},{"key":"7751_CR29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1787\/reg_glance-2016-en","volume-title":"Education at a glance 2016: OECD indicators","author":"OECD","year":"2016","unstructured":"OECD. Education at a glance 2016: OECD indicators. Paris: OECD; 2016."},{"issue":"9756","key":"7751_CR30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1923","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(10)61854-5","volume":"376","author":"J Frenk","year":"2010","unstructured":"Frenk J, Chen L, Bhutta ZA, Cohen J, Crisp N, Evans T, et al. Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world. lancet. 2010;376(9756):1923\u201358.","journal-title":"lancet"},{"issue":"2","key":"7751_CR31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.61186\/ijes.5.2.195","volume":"5","author":"R Abbasi Taghidizaj","year":"2022","unstructured":"Abbasi Taghidizaj R, Malmir M. An Exploratory Study Explaining the Causes of Success in Science Olympiads: A Multilevel Analysis with Different Units. Iran J educational Sociol. 2022;5(2):195\u2013209.","journal-title":"Iran J educational Sociol"},{"issue":"3","key":"7751_CR32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"337","DOI":"10.1080\/13636820600955443","volume":"58","author":"J Gulikers","year":"2006","unstructured":"Gulikers J, Bastiaens T, Kirschner P. Authentic assessment, student and teacher perceptions: the practical value of the five-dimensional framework. J Vocat Educ Train. 2006;58(3):337\u201357.","journal-title":"J Vocat Educ Train"},{"key":"7751_CR33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fitzgerald A, Avirmed T, Battulga N. Exploring the factors informing educational inequality in higher education: a systematic literature review. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education. 2024:1\u201311.","DOI":"10.1080\/13603108.2024.2381121"},{"issue":"1","key":"7751_CR34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2022CN000188","DOI":"10.1029\/2022CN000188","volume":"3","author":"CW Smith","year":"2022","unstructured":"Smith CW. Professional development, mentoring, and outreach in scientific research. Perspect Earth Space Scientists. 2022;3(1):e2022CN000188.","journal-title":"Perspect Earth Space Scientists"},{"key":"7751_CR35","unstructured":"The Office of Academic Affairs of Tallinn University of Technology. Scholarship for medal winners of international subject proficiency Olympiads. 2024. https:\/\/taltech.ee\/en\/scholarship-for-medal-winners-of-international-subject-proficiency-olympiads"},{"issue":"20","key":"7751_CR36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2191","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2013.281053","volume":"310","author":"World Medical Association","year":"2013","unstructured":"World Medical Association. World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA. 2013;310(20):2191\u20134.","journal-title":"JAMA"}],"container-title":["BMC Research Notes"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1186\/s13104-026-07751-4","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1186\/s13104-026-07751-4.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1186\/s13104-026-07751-4.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T19:06:23Z","timestamp":1781636783000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1186\/s13104-026-07751-4"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]]},"references-count":36,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,12]]}},"alternative-id":["7751"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13104-026-07751-4","relation":{},"ISSN":["1756-0500"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1756-0500","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]]},"assertion":[{"value":"1 November 2025","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"20 February 2026","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"28 February 2026","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences (Approval ID: IR.MEDSAB.REC.1401.049; approval date: [2022\/10\/16]). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki [\n                      \n                      ]. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection. Participants were informed about the voluntary nature of participation, their right to withdraw at any time, and measures taken to ensure confidentiality and anonymity, including de-identification of transcripts and secure data storage.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"159"}}