Table 1.

Final recommendations for the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM) Formal Project at the conclusion of the Delphi process.

Number	Recommendation
R1	Developing a mentorship program for trainees is likely to improve successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •Mentors can include more experienced trainees and other clinician-researchers who are not the trainee's Formal Project supervisor
R2	Providing opportunities for resources aimed at improving research literacy amongst trainees is likely to improve successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •Resources can include online or face-to-face training courses, websites, or online or physical texts
R3	Providing opportunities for training to supervisors is likely to improve successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •Training can include clinical research courses
R4	Establishing a college framework and appropriate support for Formal Project supervisors.
R5b	Allocation of non-clinical time dedicated to the Formal Project for trainees is likely to improve successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R6	Having a registry of potential supervisors is likely to improve successful completion of the CICM Formal Project
R7	Choosing a supervisor or supervisory group with capacity is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project •A supervisor who has the capacity is one who has the time and resources to adequately supervise a trainee's Formal Project
R8	Choosing a helpful supervisor or supervisory group is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •A helpful supervisor should be accessible and enthusiastic about the trainee's Formal Project
R9	Choosing an experienced supervisor or supervisory group is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •An experienced supervisor may be well-published, or have experience in supervising trainees
R10	Planning to do the project early in Intensive Care training is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R11	Having a feasible project timeline is a key step to successfully completing the CICM Formal Project.
R12	Having regular meetings between the trainee and the project supervisor is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R13	Planning staged feedback throughout the research project is likely to improve successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •Feedback would be between the trainee, the supervisor and the CICM
R14	Developing a research question in keeping with S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) principles is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R15	Performing a literature review to inform the research question and study design is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R16	Devising a clear research plan in the form of a written protocol is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R17	Having the research protocol reviewed by experienced clinician-researchers is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R18	Seeking statistical support at the stage of protocol design, which may include development of a statistical analysis plan, is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R19	Achieving timely ethics and governance approvals where relevant is a key step to successfully complete the CICM Formal Project.
R20	Developing the skill of scientific writing is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project.
R21	Critical appraisal of the project, including methodology and results, by the trainee is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •Critical appraisal includes systemically evaluating literature, choosing the most appropriate methodology based on the research question and literature review, analysing the data using appropriate tools, and evaluating the results to generate accurate and meaningful discussion
R22	Ensuring that the chosen project adheres to the requirements as outlined by CICM is a key step to successful completion of the CICM Formal Project. •This should be done at the stage of research protocol design •College requirements refer to the document “Formal Project Requirements” published by CICM

R: Recommendation.