Unit information: Research Project in 2020/21

Unit name	Research Project
Unit code	VETSM0040
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Rooney
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Veterinary School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This unit provides an opportunity for students to gain experience of wildlife-related research. Students will develop their skills in topic selection, investigating the background context of their chosen project, research design and implementation, analysis and report writing. The project will culminate in the submission of (i) a literature review, and (ii) a scientific paper suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Acceptance of students onto the research project unit is conditional upon them successfully passing the taught component of this MSc programme.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completing this unit students should have a deep understanding of their chosen project topic. They should also be familiar with the essential principles of research design in the context of wildlife health and conservation. It is expected that, as a minimum, students should be able to:

• Critically analyse, synthesise and correctly reference the work of others.
• Construct a coherent research question or hypothesis.
• Plan and execute a field, laboratory or desk-based study of appropriate scope for a four-month research project.
• Collect, record, analyse and critically interpret scientific data derived from their research project.
• Write up their work in the form of a high-quality scientific paper suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Teaching Information

Group and one-to-one tutorials, will support students to select a project topic, develop a central research question and select the best methodological approach. Workshops and online resources will cover aspects of literature reviewing, analysis and writing. The Programme Director will approve all research projects and will check that each student has appropriate supervision, health and safety and ethical approval. The supervisors will advise and support the students throughout their projects, via regular discussion meetings.

Assessment Information

The learning outcomes for this unit will be assessed using a combination of

• A literature review (30%) and
• A scientific paper suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal (70%). This should provide a concise introduction to the field of research, the aims of the study, the methods used, the data obtained and a critical evaluation of their conclusions and the contribution they make to scientific knowledge.

Reading and References

Students will be expected to show considerable initiative in searching the literature for information on their chosen projects. It is expected that the students will refer to a diverse range of sources. Primary sources will include books, journals and other research sources accessible through the University library but, for some topics, it may be necessary to carry out more detailed (e.g. archive) research.

The following are some examples of generic research-orientated texts that students might find helpful:

• Biggam, J. (2017) Succeeding with your Master’s Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Handbook (4thEd). Open University Press.
• Brett Davies, M. (2007) Doing a Successful Research Project: Using Qualitative or Quantitative Methods. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Booth A, Papaioannou ., Sutton A (2016) Systematic approaches to a successful literature review (2016). SAGE Publishing
• Cresswell, J.W. & Cresswell, J.D (2018) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications.
• Davies M.& Hughes N. (2014) Doing a successful research project: using qualitative or quantitative methods Palgrave Macmillan
• Dawson, C. (2019) Introduction to Research Methods: A Practical Guide for Anyone Undertaking a Research Project. How to Books Ltd