| Task details and instructions: | This assignment is a critical exploration of research techniques/ methods/ procedures in the context of your professional field of practice. You should: Choose a topic of relevance to your profession that interests you. Create a simple search strategy to locate contemporary literature on your area of enquiry. Run the search in a database that is relevant to your profession. Select two primary research studies from the literature as the focus of your essay. Identify the research techniques/ methods/ procedures used in the studies before providing a critical exploration of these in the context of the two papers. NB. You are NOT expected to complete a critical appraisal of each paper. Throughout your discussion consider any ethical issues that are relevant to the studies and the clinical nature of the participants. NB Your essay should include details of all the points mentioned above. The hyperlinks in the text below take you to useful explanations and/or supplementary information. Possible broad topic areas You are NOT conducting a piece of research therefore you do NOT need to create a research question. You do, however need to identify a focused topic area to use to demonstrate your understanding of the way research techniques/ methods/ procedures apply within your field of practice. The following list of broad topic areas are examples. They should be considered indicative rather than definitive and you are encouraged to choose a topic of interest to you. A specific health condition and aspects of its management.An aspect of professional practice and its application within the context of health and social care provision. An organisational aspect of health and social care provision.The impact of a piece of specific health or social care legislation. Remember, the topic is NOT the focus of your assignment, it is purely a vehicle to demonstrate your knowledge of the research methods used to investigate it. Database searching You should conduct your search on a discipline-appropriate electronic database accessed via the A-Z list of databases on the Library Gateway. Suitable databases include: Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Assia and Psychinfo N.B The Library Gateway itself is NOT a suitable database, nor is Google Scholar. You are advised to use a structured search (e.g., PEO, PICO, PICOS, SPIDER etc.) however you can still demonstrate your competence by using a range of search techniques such as Boolean Operators (to combine key words); truncation; wild cards. To ensure currency of evidence, the two main articles you select should have been published in the past five years. The two articles should also be primary research NOT literature reviews or other forms of secondary research. They should both be investigating the same broad topic area but may have different aims / questions. They can employ the same research techniques/ methods/ procedures of use different ones. You should use screen capture (e.g., Ctrl + Prtscn) to evidence your search and include this image as an appendix to your assignment which you should signpost readers to from the account of your search (see example). Research techniques/ methods/ procedures. Although this module covers the whole research process, your assignment should not. Instead, it should focus on the inner ‘segment’ of Saunders et al’s (2007) Research Onion i.e., the actual techniques/ methods/ procedures used in the studies, rather than their broader designs, methodologies, or underpinning philosophy. The terms techniques/methods/ procedures are often used interchangeably however, be aware that the method sections of your chosen articles are likely to contain details of more than just the techniques/ procedures. For the purposes of this assignment, you should focus on one or more of the topics covered in sessions K-M of the module i.e. recruitment, data collection, and / or data analysis. You can select papers that have used different techniques/ methods/ procedures (for example, you could explore the use of individual interviews versus focus group discussions, or the use of surveys versus individual interviews, for data collection). Alternatively, you could select papers that have used the same technique/ method/ procedure (for example, you could focus on surveys and explore the ways in which they are administered in your two studies, or you could focus on a particular statistical analysis approach used in both papers. In all cases, you should critically discuss the principles of your chosen techniques/ methods/ procedures, with reference to a range of authoritative literature regarding the research process. You should also consider how they have been applied in your selected studies. Ethical Issues You should also consider the ethical aspects of the research (see module session J) and how those have been applied in the studies you focus on. This should be reflected throughout your discussion. For example, if you focus on an aspect of recruitment, you should consider the ethical issues related to selection and recruitment of the study population. Presentation format Your work MUST be presented electronicallyUse a clear font such as Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman using font size 12 and black text colour.Your work should be submitted in Microsoft Word format for example .doc or .docx file type. All SHU computers have Microsoft Word installed. If you are using your home computer and you don’t have Word installed or use a Mac you can either use your free SHU Office 365 account to create your assignments in Word online, download and then upload the document to grade centre OR to create the assignment in Pages and export to Word then upload. Text should be presented using double line spacing except for quotes over two lines long which should be indented and single spaced as per SHU referencing Guidelines. Pages must be clearly numbered. Avoid using bullet points. It is preferable to express your ideas using complete and structured sentences.Leave yourself time to proof read for errors and omissions. Marks will be lost if assignments contain numerous errors of grammar, spelling and style, or, if cited references and the reference list do not match or the source material is not properly incorporated in the text. Use the front page provided with the following information detailed in the example at the end of this document. If you have a Learning Contract, please ensure that you copy the wording of the sticker given to you by the disabled student support team onto the front page of your assignment Referencing style/requirements All work must be accurately referenced using the APA. method. It is vital that you familiarise yourself with the system and apply it correctly. Please see Referencing guidelines for more detail. Submission To submit you must upload your work to Grade Centre and Turn-it-In (as directed on your module BlackBoard sites).You will receive details of your assessment submission dates via your ‘Assessment Diary’ which you can be found on MyHallam. SHU currently uses Turnitin as an online plagiarism/reference checker for students. You may use this as often as you like pre-submission. Details of how to use Turnitin can be found HERE.IT problems are not a valid reason for late submission – it is your responsibility to ensure that you leave plenty of time to cope with unforeseen delays.The submission deadline is always 3.00pm on the due date. Please leave yourself ample time to submit PRIOR to 3.00pm.There is a one working day grace period where you can submit your assignment late with a penalty of a capped mark of 40%This link will close at 3.00pm one working day after the submission date.It is advised that you aim to submit by the submission date as the submission link will close after the grace period has lapsed. Please remember: Check your hand-in date and time carefully; late assignments will not be accepted, unless there is an approved extension. Late submissions after the 1 working day grace period will be recorded as a fail.Keep a copy of all your work and back-up with a USB stick. You should also keep a hard copy of all your submitted work.Do not lend your work to another student and do not leave your work (USB stick) where it can be accessed by others.Ensure that you are familiar with the Cheating and Plagiarism RegulationsEnsure that you have accurately referenced all quotations within the assignment and that all references used in the text are accurately identified in the reference list. Ensure that you have included a full reference list at the end of your assignment and that you have followed the University guidelines for referencing.Any reference to workplaces, patients, clients, carers and their family must maintain anonymity and confidentiality. Failure to maintain confidentiality will result in academic misconduct proceedings.The SHU Assessment Rules & Regulations are available via MyHallam. If you have any problems which may result in you not being able to meet your deadline contact Hallam Help at the earliest opportunity. Please do not wait until the day of submission to raise a problem or ask for help. |
| Module learning outcomes: | On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to: 1. Objectively appraise the literature using effective electronic search strategies related to a contemporary issue relevant to your area of practice 2. Explore the selected topic and organise your findings to summarise what is known and how collectively this has advanced your understanding of the topic. 3. Evaluate how the skills of critical enquiry might positively contribute to your area of practice. 4. Critically discuss the professional, ethical and practical factors that are relevant to the topic area and develop your self-awareness in relation to your engagement in research activities. |
| Guidance linked to grid | Marks for your assessment will be allocated based on the following criteria Subject Knowledge and Understanding To complete this element successfully you need to ….. Demonstrate your knowledge of the research techniques/ methods/ processes used to conduct the research within your chosen research papers. You will need to consider the strengths and weakness of the chosen research methods and what that means in relation to your research paper. You will demonstrate that you have used a range of research texts to underpin your critical discussion on how the research methods were used within your selected research papers. Intellectual Skills: including understanding, judgement, analysis, evaluation and synthesis To complete this element successfully you need to …… Demonstrate that you have an understanding of the research process, through debating and evaluating the research methods from your chosen research papers. You will need to consider whether the research methods were appropriate for the research that was undertaken within the papers. This evaluation needs to be supported by the research core text and a range of other contemporary literature. Subject specific skills and application to practice To complete this element successfully you need to ….. Demonstrate your competency in literature searching by describing a logical database search to locate relevant primary research. Demonstrate how the research methods from your chosen papers relate to your practice area. Discuss how research ethics have been applied and considered within your chosen research papers. You will need to consider what ethical principles should be taken into account when applying the research techniques/ methods/ procedures with participants in your field of practice. Transferable skills: including communication, presentation and organisation, dissemination To complete this element successfully you need to …. Ensure that your work has a clear and logical structure, which has followed all the guidance provided and adheres to the APA referencing standard. The various sections of your work should clearly identify the key points you wish to present and these should be well explained. The information you present should be professionally articulated in a clear and balanced way. |
| Weighting within module: | This assessment is worth 100% of the overall module mark. |
| Word count/ duration (if applicable) | Your assessment should be 2500 words in length. This word limit relates to the word count given by the word count tool in Microsoft Word and should be included on the front page. Work that is >10% over the word limit will be penalised by 10% of the available marks, i.e. you would lose 10 marks on this assessment task. Note that all text, apart from the list of references at the end of a document and text in appendices, is included in the word count. |
| Formative Feedback | Your assignment support will primarily consist of two workshops, where you will be able to ask questions about the assignment. To support your completion of the assessment process you will be given the opportunity to seek feedback from a named member of the module teaching team on an outline of your assignment (500 words max). You will be able to gain clarification on a specific area that you identify to the lecturer at the workshops. For example this could be just asking specific questions, or a draft plan. There will also be a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section on the blackboard site. |
| Marking | You should consult your Blackboard Module site for detailed grade and mark descriptors |
| Feedback arrangements: | You can expect to receive feedback 15 working days for the submission date within your assessment diary (taking into account bank holidays and university holidays) in the following format – Feedback will be available via Grade Centre. If there are aspects of your feedback that you do not understand then you can contact your marker for clarification. Your work will have annotated feedback on it so you will be able to see the comments that your marker has made and then these will enable you to see how your marks have been awarded. Feedback and feed forward are designed to identify areas that are your strengthens and areas that are weaker and require further development so that you can develop your academic writing skills. All marks and feedback are internally moderated and reviewed by the external examiner |
| Support arrangements: | Assignment support is primarily within the two identified assignment support workshops. Markers will acknowledge receipt of emails within three working days (unless identified otherwise on their out of office reply). They will then have three working days to send you a response. Markers will not be able to give any advice from ten working days prior to submission. Library Services There is a wealth of information and support available from the learning centre. Details of how they can support you are available here: https://library.shu.ac.uk/index.html. Academic Misconduct Academic misconduct is any action, attempted action or omission that may result in you gaining an unfair advantage over other students in an assessment, where there is evidence to demonstrate that your actions or behaviour arose from an intention to deceive the marker. It is a breach of the Code of Academic Conduct and as such will be investigated under the Academic Conduct Regulation. It is a serious matter and has the potential to result in a number of sanctions which could impact on your ability to progress academically. Further information on misconduct can be found by typing “Academic Misconduct” into the search tab in Blackboard. Breaches of confidentiality and unethical practices The University takes this very seriously and failure to follow confidentiality, anonymity, or follow research ethics protocols can result in a student having to go before an Academic Conduct Panel. You must not disclose the name of any patients/ service users, Trusts or other organisations, personnel or disclose any information that would mean an organisation, service or person can be identified. Professionally regulated programmes: In any assignment a failure to identify a serious problem or an answer that would cause patient/client harm will result in a cause for concern and may impact on your final mark Assessment Information If you have any questions about assessment rules, you can be found by typing “Assessment Regulations” into the search tab in Blackboard. Extensions and exceptional circumstances (RRAA) If personal exceptional circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can apply for a 5 working day extension. Further information on how to do this can be found by tying “Extension” into the search tab in Blackboard. Who to contact If you have any queries about this assessment, please contact Module Leader : Jon Painter |
| Reassessment: | The minimum pass criteria to pass this module is 40% In Module Retrieval (IMR) IS available. IMR stands for In Module Retrieval (IMR). It is an optional opportunity to “make good” work that only requires relatively modest improvements to pass with a capped mark. The timescale for these changes is short as the marks need to be presented at the same exam board. * To ensure fairness, and the consistent application of this guidance, ONLY assessments achieving 35% or 38% (i.e. a “near miss”) will be eligible for reworking and resubmission as an IMR Students who meet the above criteria are eligible for an IMR opportunity and can resubmit edited work, with changes CLEARLY HIGHLIGHTED for their marker, within 5 working days from release of first sit results. Students obtaining lower marks and those who did not submit a first attempt will need to submit a full reassessment attempt by the reassessment deadline. This will be following completion of the module and after the marks have been ratification at the department assessment board. If you do not achieve the minimum pass criteria for the module (40%) at IMR, you are entitled to a referral at the end of the module. If you are referred you will be given one final attempt after the assessment board has ratified the mark. The maximum overall mark you can be awarded in a referred assessment task that you pass is 40% Details of resubmission task You will resubmit your assignment reworked using the feedback from your marker. You are advised to make contact with your marker as soon as possible to gain clarification of feedback and ask specific questions that you may have to help to develop your assignment. Your Resubmission date will be given via your assessment calendar. This mark will be capped at 40% and feedback will be given for this attempt. |
