Introductory description

The module offers students the opportunity to work independently, under limited supervision, on an area of health and medical science of their choice. Students will learn to take responsibility for the direction and management of a research project through to completion and submission. There is no specific syllabus for this module. The topic of the dissertation will depend on the mutual interests of the student and the student's chosen supervisor.

During this module, students will gain hands-on experience of formulating appropriate research questions, planning and undertaking a project, analysing data, peer review and writing their project in form of a paper. The paper will be in a format suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal and will demonstrate knowledge and appraisal of a wide range of relevant literature and show that this has been applied to the design, execution and reporting of the project. There will be online material on key skills relevant to dissertation planning and oral presentation.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module offers students the opportunity to work independently, under limited supervision, on an area
of health and medical science of their choice. They will learn to take responsibility for the direction and
management of a research project through to completion and submission. There is no specific syllabus for
this module. The topic of the dissertation will depend on the mutual interests of the student and the
student's chosen supervisor. During this module the students will gain hands on experience of formulating
appropriate research questions, planning and undertaking a project, analysing data, peer review and
writing their project in form of a paper. The paper will be in a format suitable for publication in a peer
reviewed academic journal and will demonstrate knowledge and appraisal of a wide range of relevant
literature and show that this has been applied to the design, execution and reporting of the project. There
will be online material on key skills relevant to dissertation planning and oral presentation

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• To work independently to plan, manage and complete a cohesive project
• To develop practical and cognitive skills of analysis and synthesis in the context of investigation within the field of health, biomedical and medical sciences
• To evaluate and communicate complex project information using written and oral formats
• To critically appraise own findings and their relevance within the project scope
• To demonstrate responsible research behaviour
• To become immersed in complex disciplinary language, engage with interdisciplinary approaches and identify professional limit

Indicative reading list

Each project will focus on a different research question. Therefore, the bibliography will depend on the
topic and nature of the research project and will be guided by the allocated supervisor. The bibliography
below is to help students to organise and write their project dissertation.

1. Ecker and Skelly (2010) Conducting a winning literature search. Evid Based Spine Care J. 1(1):9-14.
2. Joyner R.L., Rouse W.A. and Glatthorn, A.A. (2013) Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: a
   step-by-step guide. 4th edition. Corwin Press.
3. Rudestam K.E. (2007) Surviving your dissertation: a comprehensive guide to content and process.
   3
   rd edition. SAGE Publications, Inc.
4. Ballenger B.P. (2007) The curious researcher: a guide to writing research papers. 5th edition. New
   York: Pearson Longman.
5. University of Warwick Undergraduate Skills Programme Workshops:
   https://warwick.ac.uk/services/skills/events/ugworkshops/

Research element

To develop practical and cognitive skills of analysis and synthesis in the context of investigation within the fields of health, biomedical and medical sciences

Subject specific skills

Developed practical and cognitive skills of analysis and synthesis in the context of investigation within the fields of health, biomedical and medical sciences.
To become immersed in complex disciplinary language, engage with interdisciplinary approaches and identify professional limits.

Transferable skills

The transferable skills gained from the completion of this module include, ability to gather and interpret information, ability to analyze data, oral communication skills, ability to make decisions and solve problems, written communication skills, ability to learn quickly, ability to manage a project, and creativity/innovative thinking.