| CODE | RAD4201 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Dissertation | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 12 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Radiography | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The aim of this study-unit is to engage each student in a piece of independent research related to radiography. Each student is guided through the stages of the research process by a supervisor and if deemed necessary other persons such as co-supervisor and/or advisor. Students attend to meetings with their supervisor/s during which they discuss how to define a research study; how to perform the research, including critical analysis of the literature and exploration of key research methodologies and how to analyse the results, perform appropriate data analysis and draw conclusions. Students will develop their knowledge of the research process through consideration of: critical literature analysis; validity and rigour in scientific methodology; critical analysis of qualitative and quantitative results; accuracy and validity in drawing conclusions; and presentation of research through formal writing. The students may also opt to perform a systematic review of the literature and apply the relevant methodology to this study. The students will also be expected to present their research work and progress on two occasions that will be scheduled during the academic year. The first presentation will take place by latest mid-December where the student will be expected to give an overview of the study to date including the rationale of the study, aims and objectives, application for ethical approval and an overview of the literature, as relevant to the study. In the second presentation, which will usually take place in April, the student will be asked to present the methodology applied, data collection and analysis, conclusions and recommendations. Under staff supervision, each student will independently undertake a professionally relevant dissertation, word count maximum 9000. Study-unit Aims: The aims of the dissertation are to allow the student to: • Identify appropriate information sources and peer reviewed journals of relevance; • Achieve specified tasks within given time limits in line with the dissertation guidelines published by the department; • Define the chosen area of investigation; • Develop relevant research questions, as applicable; • Review the relevant literature, if applicable; • Collect data, if applicable; • Integrate the empirical data into the wider context of the subject; • Draw conclusions and propose recommendations based on the findings of the study as well as acknowledging the limitations of the study and how these were or could have been addressed. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: Discuss the main concepts of research design and application in radiography research; • Apply an appropriate, logical and reproducible study design; • Select an appropriate research methodology for the area of study selected; • Appraise ethical issues in conducting research and the implications to the research process; • Apply the concepts of accuracy, reliability, validity and feasibility in research; • Apply, data analysis and/or statistical tests on the collected data for the purpose of the research; • Develop and use presentation styles for scientific research; • Integrate results into a broader literature or theoretical, technical or professional framework; • Apply the research process to current practice within Radiography; • Present research findings. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • Use electronic resources to find and present information to analyse, critically reflect and evaluate published literature in an appropriate and thorough manner; • Develop and structure a theoretical argument supported by a critical review of literature and available evidence; • Examine various methodological approaches,justify and apply the appropriate design and methodology to the area under study; • Apply a reproducible and realistic study design to a small scale research study taking into consideration issues such as, feasibility, data validation and reliability; • Apply the Faculty’s approved Reference System accurately and consistently; • Carry out the study within the ethical framework as approved by relevant research ethics committee/s as applicable; • Apply appropriate analytical and statistical approaches to evaluation of research data; • Reach valid conclusions and contextualise these against the broader framework of current knowledge; • Work independently through the research process to produce a dissertation; • Develop a body of knowledge from which evidence-based practice may evolve; • Present the choice of study, the methodology applied, the analysis of the data and findings; • Write a dissertation that displays evidence of research skills. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts • Bowling A. (2014) Research methods in health, (4th Edition) Buckingham; Open University Press. • Bryman A (2016) Social Research Methods Oxford (5th Edition): Oxford University Press. • Bryman A. and Burgess R (Eds) (2002) Analyzing Qualitative Data London (2nd Edition): Routledge. • Creswell JW. (2016) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Traditions. (4th Edition) London: Sage. • Gray, JR & Grove, SK (2020). Burns and Grove's The Practice of Nursing Research. Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of Evidence (9th Ed), Elsevier. • Greenhalgh T. (2019) How to read a paper (6th Edition), London: BMJ Publishing. • Mason J. (2018) Qualitative Researching (3rd Edition) London; Sage. • Patton, M.Q. (2015) Qualitative research and evaluation methods, (4th Edition), London: Sage. • Polgar S. and Thomas SA. (2019) Introduction to research in the health sciences (7th edition), Edinburgh: Elsevier. • Ramlaul, A (2020). Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy Research: Skills and Stretegies (2nd ed). Springerlink. Supplementary texts • Bland M. (2015) An introduction to medical statistics (4th Edition), Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Oppenheim A.N. (2000) Questionnaire Design, interviewing and attitude measurement. Continuum Publishing Group, Washington. • Robson, C. (2011) Real world research: a resource for social scientists and practitioner researchers (3rd Edition), Wiley. • Smith JA. (2015) Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods (3rd Edition), London: Sage. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Dissertation | ||||||||||||
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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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