1 April 2025
INHSU’s latest webinar broke down how to write a strong research concept note, providing essential guidance for emerging researchers. Here, we share the slides, recording, and some key takeaways from our expert speakers: Professor Jason Grebely, Scientia Professor Carla Treloar, and facilitator Dr. Andrew Scheibe.
A concept note is a concise document outlining the aims, rationale, and methods of a proposed research project. It helps clarify your thinking, provides a framework for collaboration, and acts as a blueprint for full paper development.
As Professor Jason Grebely (President of INHSU and Head of the Hepatitis C and Drug Use Group at the Kirby Institute) put it, “It’s a way to stay focused and avoid going down endless rabbit holes. Done well, it saves you—and your co-authors—a lot of time.”
This webinar was held in the lead-up to the INHSU Research Writing Workshop, which will take place adjacent to the INHSU annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa, this October. It’s not too late to get involved – more information can be found below.
Practical tips from the session
Jason Grebely provided a step-by-step breakdown of how he approaches concept notes in his team, including:
- Structure: Start with a brief introduction, followed by clearly defined aims, study population, methods, and mock tables or figures
- Length: 2–3 pages max (not including tables/figures)
- Clarity: Be concise, specific, and avoid jargon
- Collaboration: Use concept notes to align with co-authors early in the writing process, especially around authorship expectations
- Reusability: Draft sections like the methods as if you’re writing them for the final paper—they can often be reused directly
He also shared examples of strong, well-formatted concept notes and discussed common pitfalls—such as vague aims, poorly defined endpoints, and overcomplicated backgrounds. You can see these examples in the slides or the video.
Scientia Professor Carla Treloar, Centre for Social Research in Health and the Social Policy Research Centre (UNSW Sydney), followed with tailored advice for qualitative researchers. Key takeaways included:
- Theoretical frameworks matter: Choose an approach that fits the data and research questions
- Be transparent about analysis methods: Go beyond simply stating ‘thematic analysis’
- Quotes and coding: Include examples of coded quotes to illustrate how the framework applies
- Co-author collaboration: Use concept notes as living documents to guide shared analysis and interpretation, especially when working with lived experience contributors
- Beware of AI: While AI tools may assist with language editing or shortening text, researchers should be cautious. Sensitive qualitative data should never be uploaded into large language models, and any use of AI in publication must be disclosed per journal requirements.
What’s next?
If you’re interested in attending the Research Writing Workshop at INHSU 2025, it’s not too late to get involved. You’ll need to submit a concept note and an abstract to the conference (late breaker submissions open 12 May 2025). Places are limited to just 15–20 participants. More information on late breakers.
To take part, you must also be an INHSU member—membership is free for students, postdoctoral researchers (within 3 years of PhD), and people with lived experience of drug use, hepatitis C, or HIV. Join now.
