Assessment 1 - Research Methods

Literature Review

Learning outcome 1: Evaluate the rigour and validity of published research and assess its relevance to the research topic

Learning outcome 2: Conduct research into relevant issues that requires familiarity with a range of subject- relateddata, research sources, and appropriate methodologies

Task: You will prepare a short literature review on your chosen research topic. This will be related to the second part of the summative assessment (the report) and on the topic of the research, you will undertake foryour Dissertation/Management Project.

The literature review should analyse and synthesise relevant academic literature, critically engaging with the field of scholarship. In the literature review, you should discuss how your research topic will fit within existing published work. You should find at least 12-15 sources of literature (mainly academic) connected to your proposed research and analyse them to show how your research will attempt to contribute to existing knowledge. You should aim to compare and contrast the sources and make appropriate links with your proposed research. Keep in mind that you should paraphrase the sources in your own words (and cite and reference the sources appropriately) and you should synthesise the potential contribution of these sources to your research. Your literature review should not be presented as a ‘list' of articles.

The following are indicators of a good literature review:

A good range of literature been used to discuss relevant concepts, models and theories
The sources used are up to date, and of sufficient academic weight
The literature review offers evidence of critical evaluation of the material
The key themes and issues surrounding the research topic are clearly drawn from the literature
Sources have been acknowledged and referenced consistently and properly. The reference list at the end of the literature review is complete and in the University of Suffolk's Harvard style.

Structure:

Introduction (300 words)

Offers brief outline of the research topic. Outlines what the literature review will include and/or leave out (scope). What themes the literature review will discuss and the order they are presented. What the literature review will
argue/demonstrate(thesis statement).

Main Body:

A good range of literature been used to discuss relevant concepts, models and theories
The sources used are up to date, and of sufficient academicweight
The literature review offers evidence of critical evaluation of the material
A good ability to synthesize that goes beyond just presenting arguments and ideas from the source material and demonstrates ability to link these theories together, combine them and indicate a good level of understanding
The key themes and issues surrounding the research
topic are clearly drawnfrom the literature

Conclusions (500 words)
Summarise key themes and issues identified in the main body of the literature review. Summarise gap(s) in the literature and where the proposed research will attempt to
contribute.

Formatting and Referencing
High quality presentation of the material that conforms to
principles of academic writing and contains minimal errors in sentence construction, grammar and punctuation.
assignment followed appropriate academic conventions regarding in-text citations and referencing.

Assessment Brief 2 - Research Proposal

Learning outcome 1: Demonstrate a range of qualitative and quantitative research skills

Learning outcome 2: Critically evaluate a range of research methods/techniques, both qualitative and quantitative; and understand their strengths and weaknesses as practical tools for inquiry

Learning outcome 3: Demonstrate an awareness of core ethical issues that arise in research and secure that your methodology complies with the requirements of your programme

Assessment guidelines

Task: You will prepare a report outlining further details of your chosen research that will form the basis of your Dissertation/Management Project.

Format: You should use the following structure for your Report - Research Proposal. You should present your proposal in a single document with an appropriate front page, contents page, headings and a correctly formatted reference list (University of Suffolk Harvard style).

The proposal should include the following:

Section 1: Research topic, aim and objectives
Identify your proposed research topic and offer a clear rationale, along with aim and objectives
In this section you should present your research topic and explain the topic area. The section should include appropriate background information and it should explain the rationale for selecting this research topic and what is the potential contribution of the proposed research.

Also, the section should clearly present the aim and objectives of the proposed research.

Section 2: Methodology, methods and ethical considerations
Identify and justify a research methodology appropriate to your proposed research
Identify and justify research methods and data appropriate to your proposed research
Identify key ethical considerations relevant to your proposed research
In this section you should discuss your research methodology. You should consider your epistemological approach and how this impacts your research design. Also, you should discuss your data collection methods as well as the types of data that you will collect for your research and the sources of this data. You should be able to justify your choice of methodology and methods referring to your research aim and objectives. Also, you should comment on the feasibility of your research and your ability to access the required data. Finally, this section should outline the ethical considerations related to your research.

Section 3: Research schedule/plan
Induce a provisional project schedule/plan for your proposed research
In this section you should outline the key milestones for the completion of your research project and propose the length of time that each milestone will require to complete. You should try to be as realistic as you can and you should consider things like work schedule and busy periods at work as well as holidays and other breaks. It will be useful to present your schedule/plan on a table listing the milestones, the duration of each milestone as well as a brief note for each milestone that will offer a description of the role of the milestone in the process and a justification for the assigned duration, including any concerns, contingency plans, or limitations to completing the milestone.

Your Research Proposal should follow this structure:

Research topic, aim and objectives (900 words)

• Research topic clearly framed and presented
• Clear and consistent research aim and objectives
• The section provides relevant background information and explains the rationale for selecting the research topic
• The section is supported with relevant literature and evidence

Research Methodology, Methods and ethical considerations
(900 words)

• Clearly identifies the research methodology and provides justification for the selection, on the basis of relevant evidence and support from outside sources and the nature of the research topic
• Clearly identifies research methods, data and data sources and justifies the selection, using evidence and support from outside sources

Research Schedule/Plan (200 words)

• Clear and consistent plan of work
• Realistic milestones
• Relevant comments explaining the milestones

Formatting and Referencing (list of references not included in word count)

High quality presentation of the material that conforms to principles of academic writing and contains minimal errors in sentence construction, grammar and punctuation. The assignment followed appropriate academic conventions regarding in-text citations and referencing.