| CODE | HSC5131 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Writing a Research Proposal and Protocol in the Health Sciences | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Health Sciences | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Writing a dissertation requires a range of planning, management and research skills that are of great value, and that are transferable to other personal and professional life domains too. The research proposal is a crucial first step to set the stage for the research study, and should help students devise a clear plan, with a timeline, for the final project. This study-unit is designed to introduce students and novice researchers to originate a research proposal and protocol for a research study in the health sciences, particularly in general nursing and areas of specialization, including but not limited to cancer care, critical care, emergency care, infection prevention and control, palliative care, skin and wound care. Through lectures and workshops/seminars, students will discuss and explore research areas and topics of interest leading to clinical inquiries, and how these can be applied to their clinical practice. Students will be guided to look at previous studies related to their topic leading up to current research questions, outline a research problem, identify research aims & objectives, frame a research question, determine a research design, formulate a research protocol, and present their research proposal for approval. This process will be extended to writing protocols for clinical audits, quality improvement and service evaluation studies. Study-Unit Aims: To encourage students to analyse and assess their current clinical practice and formulate a problem position statement; To introduce students to the use of a research reflective journal; To clarify the research methods applied to clinical nursing and health science research; To facilitate students' initiation of a contextual review methodology; To familiarize students with a structured process of study design and articulation; To assist and support students compile and submit a research proposal and methodological protocol. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Define the essential elements of a research proposal; - Structure a research proposal and protocol in a health science area of interest at Master's Level; - Discuss the practicalities of research, including planning, setting and achieving realistic goals within a time-frame, using resources, presentation skills; - Recognise ethical, data protection and legal requirements of FREC / UREC / MDH Data Protection / MDH Legal policies related to research proposals/protocols, conduct and publishing; - Appreciate techniques for advancing knowledge and understanding, such as setting up a programme of reading and a literature review; - Identify solutions to factors that hinder the progress and successful completion of a research project; - Recognise the importance of seeking advice and feedback. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Choose a dissertation topic / theme - Funnel and narrow down the topic of interest to a specific issue - Outline and discuss a clinical / research problem - Initiate a process of reflective practice through the use of a research journal and contextual review - Formulate a clear, focussed and succinct research question/s - Discuss a rationale for the research project - Identify the overall purpose, aims and respective objectives of the study - Outline a brief literature review about the topic - Explain an underlying theoretical / conceptual framework - Determine a research methodology with proper justification - Adopt a systems approach to proposal writing - Outline appropriate wording for the dissertation title - Construct a research proposal and protocol in the proper APA academic writing style - Present the research proposal to the respective Faculty/Department for vetting and approval, and to funding/scholarship agencies - Manage and address all elements of the ethical / legal / data protection review and clearance process Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - MacDonald CJ, Stodel E, Thompson TL, Archibald D & Sun R (2013) Introduction to Research: Demystifying the process. eBook ed. Ottawa, Canada: CollaLearning Corp. (Full text available online at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-Research-Demystifying-Process-ebook/dp/B00EO5MGCC - Wood, M., & Kerr, J. (2011). Basic steps in planning nursing research : From question to proposal (7th ed.). Jones and Bartlett. (Main Library General RT81.5 .W66 2011) Supplementary Readings: - McDonnell, P., & McNiff, J. (2016). Action research for nurses (1st ed.). (Full text available at: SAGE Research Methods Core). - Curry, Nunez-Smith, & Nunez-Smith, Marcella. (2015). Mixed methods in health sciences research : A practical primer (Sage mixed methods research series ; v. 1). (Full text available at: SAGE Research Methods Core). - McPhaul, M., & Toto, R. (2011). Clinical research : From proposal to implementation. Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health. - Crawley, O'Sullivan, & O'Sullivan, Eoin. (2016). The grant writer's handbook : How to write a research proposal and succeed. Imperial College P. - Wentz, E. (2013). How to design, write, and present a successful dissertation proposal. Web. (Full text available at: SAGE Research Methods Core). - Dahlberg, McCaig, Dahlberg, Lena, and McCaig, Colin. Practical Research and Evaluation : A Start-to-finish Guide for Practitioners. 2016. Print. - Morrell, Clare, and Gill Harvey. The Clinical Audit Handbook : Improving the Quality of Health Care. Bailliere Tindall, 1999. Print. - Weeks, Andrew, Katie Lightly, and Sam Ononge. Let's Do Audit! : A Practical Guide to Improving the Quality of Medical Care through Criterion-based Audit. RCOG, 2010. Print. - Schneider, Z. & Fuller, J. (2018) Writing Research Proposals in the Health sciences: A step by step guide. 1st Edition. Sage Publications Ltd. (ISBN 978-1526411310). - Baker, R.W., Hearhshaw, H.M. and Robertson, N. (2007). Implementing Change with Clinical Audit. 1st Edition. Wiley Publishers. (ISBN 978-0471982579). |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: MD or a BSc (Hons) in any Health Care Science or equivalent. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Tutorial, Workshop & Independent Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Roderick Bugeja Anthony Scerri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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