الجامعـــة الوطنيـــة الخاصـــة

Al-Wataniya Private University – Hama

January 14-15, 2026

The Faculty of Dentistry at Al-Wataniya Private University, in cooperation with Baram & Al-Hamad Company, organized a qualitative workshop titled
” Principles and Methodologies in Scientific Research and International Publication in Medical Sciences .” The workshop was presented by Professor Dr. Mohammed Younis Hajeer, Professor and Head of the Department of Orthodontics at Damascus University. This comes as part of the university’s continuous pursuit to spread the concept of scientific research and enhance the knowledge of students, administrative, and educational staff regarding the latest methods and mechanisms adopted in scientific research and external publishing in prestigious scientific journals.

The workshop activities commenced in the presence of the leadership of Al-Wataniya Private University, represented by Dr. Hazem Milli, Vice President for Scientific Affairs, and Dr. Tariq Abou Ajwa, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, and his deputy, Dr. Raif Al-Najjar, alongside a number of students and members of the educational and administrative bodies from various faculties of the university.

Scientific Research… Constantly Evolving Foundations and Methods

Professor Dr. Mohammed Younis Hajeer opened the first day of the workshop by discussing the importance of medical scientific research and its types within a historical context. He reviewed the beginnings of scientific research based on personal expertise and individual experiments, which led to variations in mechanisms and methods between different schools. In doing so, he highlighted the concept of Evidence-Based Dentistry and the relationship between the general dentist and dental research (motivations – potential projects for the dental researcher).

Prof. Dr. Mohammed Hajeer also distinguished between the types of quantitative scientific research in medical sciences, which varied between observational studies and experimental studies. He explained the concept and characteristics of each type, outlining procedural uses, challenges, and obstacles specific to these research studies. This provided a comprehensive overview of how to conduct studies, starting from selecting the appropriate study type for the research title, through to identifying and studying the research population, choosing the appropriate sample, and applying study mechanisms and methods.

In a related context, Prof. Dr. Hajeer discussed methods for selecting subjects for the studied sample in clinical trials after unifying inclusion criteria. He presented examples of randomization mechanisms, such as using random number tables. Furthermore, he provided a detailed explanation of the concept and patterns of bias in clinical medical research, as well as the concept and types of blinding (single, double, and triple) in clinical trials.

Medical Research… Between Study and Application

Dr. Mohammed Younis Hajeer discussed sampling mechanisms in medical research based on several factors, most notably avoiding the selection of a “convenience sample” and ensuring randomness in selecting the sample from the studied research population. He identified sample types including simple random, multi-stage sampling, and cluster sampling, highlighting the most significant difficulties in the process of sample construction in clinical studies.

Regarding the principles and methods of scientific research, Prof. Dr. Mohammed Younis Hajeer reviewed how to write a scientific research protocol, from designing and writing the research proposal to the mechanisms of starting the study and data collection, analyzing data and relevant results, writing the final research report, and obtaining informed consent from patients for publishing research. He explained several professional and ethical research considerations that a researcher must adhere to during and after conducting scientific research.

This qualitative workshop explored the horizons of scientific research and renewed the scientific vision of educational staff and students toward scientific research and its constantly evolving methods and methodologies, marking a step toward elevating the level of scientific research at Al-Wataniya Private University.