module specification

This module provides the opportunity to apply previously acquired knowledge and skills to a pharmaceutical research problem, and to undertake, critically evaluate, reflect, and report on, an individual experimental programme.

No pre-requisite module is required

 To provide the opportunity to apply previously acquired knowledge and skills to a pharmaceutical research problem
 To provide the opportunity to undertake independently, critically evaluate, reflect upon, and report on, an experimental programme on a pharmaceutical science topic

Competence to undertake independent research will be developed as follows:

Theoretical research
Advanced information searching, interpretation and abstraction skills will be applied in the production of a theoretical framework

Practical work
Experimental skills will be applied in the design and execution of a laboratory, field or survey based research programme. Analytical and evaluative skills will be applied to data appraisal and contextualisation

Communication of results
Written presentation skills will be applied in the production of the project report. Oral presentation skills will be applied in the defence of the work undertaken.

This Module will require the student to self-direct and manage his/her own independent learning experience. The area of research will be matched, as far as is possible with the research interest, expertise and existing research projects of the supervisor.  Research topics will be identified during the earlier part of the course through formal discussions in tutorials between the students, the Module convenor and a supervisor who has suitable research interests.  The supervisor may be a member of academic teaching or research staff within the University, and may jointly supervise with someone from outside in appropriate organisations.

Topics will be chosen that give the opportunity for high-level research that advances the boundaries of current knowledge but gives the student a realistic opportunity of completion. The module will be delivered through a combination of direct contact, feedback tutorials and workshop sessions (50 hours), with project supervision (10 hours) and self-directed study 540 hours).

Upon arrangement by the student, the project supervisor will initially assist in the following processes:
1. clarifying the terms of the research project
2. establishing a timetable for the research and dates for subsequent student/supervisor   meetings
3. directed background reading
4. study design, methodology, ethical approval (where necessary) and statistical analysis

Supervisory support will form a key part of the teaching method, but ultimately, most of the learning will be student-centred. Supervisor meetings will continue periodically through the Project. A typical amount of contact time the student can expect is between eight and ten hours with the supervisor. Comments on the draft of the dissertation can be expected.

Students will work as individuals on the design and execution of their projects. They will be encouraged to think critically about their findings and, where appropriate, to provide solutions through the design of related experiments or alternative approaches to research.

PDP: students complete a ‘personal statement’, the style of which would be appropriate to a job application and address questions such as - Where do you see yourself in 5-years time? What are your goals? What skills do you have to expand to meet these?

On completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. establish an original hypothesis within a pharmaceutical sciences context, based on a thorough understanding of current primary literature, that is realistic and testable within the constraints of resources available;
2. design and execute within the time constraints of the project, a series of related scientific experiments to test the hypothesis;
3. work safely with due regard to the appropriate Codes of Practice;
4. analyse, evaluate and appraise the results obtained, where appropriate using statistical tests at an advanced level of competency;
5. contextualise the discussion and conclusions of the project within the wider context of pharmaceutical sciences research;
6. demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the role of research in the academic and professional development of the discipline;
7. write a detailed report in an appropriate scientific form with the correct use of English and defend it during an oral interview.

The assessment will be the production of an interim report, final research dissertation and oral examination.
The interim report should follow a standard structure and provide for example an evaluation and appraisal of the relevant literature, a rationale for the research, and aims of proposed research, methodology, results obtained after 6 weeks in the laboratory, discussion of the results, conclusion and further work with justification. It should be 3,000 words in length.

The required length of the dissertation is 9,000 words exclusive of title page, contents, figures, tables, bibliography and appendices. The content should be of sufficient depth to be appropriate for a Masters level award, but broad enough to demonstrate an informed overview of the subject area. The structure of the dissertation will depend upon the nature of the research. Details will be included in the dissertation Module booklet.

To pass the module students must attempt all assessments and achieve an overall minimum aggregate mark of 50%. Failure to submit reports or attend the viva may lead to a fail in this module.

Component                           Learning outcomes
Interim report                        1, 2, 3, 4
Dissertation                          1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Viva                                     1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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