Objectives Medical research in Syria faced significant limitations due to inadequate human and financial resources, exacerbated by the ongoing war. Until recently, the curriculum did not incorporate sufficient training on research skills. Consequently, extracurricular workshops were initiated or utilized nationwide to acquire research-related expertise, aiming to bolster research output. This study aims to characterize and evaluate these training endeavors concerning research-related knowledge, attitudes, barriers, as well as research productivity. Methods This case-control study encompassed all training initiatives in Syria from 2011 to 2020, both on-site and online. Participants consisted of early career healthcare professionals affiliated with all Syrian universities and were recruited into four equal groups based on the quantity of research projects they undertook and published. Our participants reported and assessed individual extracurricular workshops regarding their gained knowledge, attitudes, and practical skills. These initiatives were compared to curricular training and practical peer-led support regarding these outcomes. Results The study included 53 on-site and 30 online workshops, displaying diverse distributions and features. Attendance of extracurricular workshops correlated with participants' knowledge, attitudes, and research productivity (p<0.001). The most effective interventions were massive open online courses and workshops lasting over 12 hours. Extracurricular workshops and peer-led support has comparable effectiveness and associated with higher knowledge, attitudes, and practical skills of their beneficiaries in comparison to curricular training (adjusted p<0.05). Lastly, peer trainers in these workshops exhibited more publications and higher levels of knowledge and attitude than the rest of the sample (adjusted p<0.05). Conclusions Overall, extracurricular interventions and peer support demonstrated their superiority over curricular training. Despite the varied nature of these workshops and the absence of institutional organization, these approaches exhibited significant potential in enhancing research-related knowledge, promoting positive attitudes, and augmenting research productivity in resource-constrained settings such as Syria.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The ethical approval for this study (30/2020) was obtained from the institutional review board of Damascus University on 19.01.2021. All participants provided their informed consent for the publication of their anonymous data before their participation.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

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I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

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The data underlying the results presented in the study are available and can be provided upon reasonable request to the corresponding author (Ibrahem Hanafi, Ibrahem.W.Hanafi@gmail.com).