Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier

BDM0060

Module Title

MRes Dissertation DL (A)

Academic Year

2022/2023

Co-ordinator

Dr Peter Wootton-Beard

Semester

Distance Learning

Pre-Requisite

BDM0120 Students will develop their proposal in the Research Methods module

Course Delivery

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment length / details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	.2 Hours Recorded Presentation An important part of any research project is your ability to explain the decisions you made in the planning and execution of the project, the implications of your findings, and the impact(s) of your conclusions on the wider scientific discipline within which your project is located. You are therefore, asked to record an oral defence of your research project. The recording should last no more than 8 minutes and must include the following elements as a minimum. • Scientific justification for the research question and hypothesis(es) / objective(s) • Scientific justification for the experimental design and methodology selected • Justification for the data analysis techniques applied to the data • Discussion of the implications of the findings • Recommendations for future work and/or a discussion of the impact(s) of the conclusions on the wider field.	10%
Semester Assessment	Research Paper (dissertation 8,500 words) 8500 Words	90%
Supplementary Assessment	Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module.	100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Conduct an in-depth literature review.

2. Plan, execute and justify appropriate research methods.

3. Present and evaluate results obtained.

4. Produce a learned report of the investigation in the form of a research paper in the style of a relevant journal.

Deliver a presentation that shows a comprehensive understanding of the choices made in the design and execution of the project and an awareness of its impact upon the wider scientific field.

Brief description

The main focus of the work should be the review and analysis of existing data from the student's workplace under the supervision of an experienced researcher. The ultimate aspiration is for the student to make an original contribution to the body of knowledge in agri-food or biosciences.

Aims

The short thesis (not more than 8,500 words) is intended to provide both meaningful research for the industry, and for Professional Doctorate candidates, a solid foundation for the longer Part II thesis and this should be considered in terms of the ultimate aim of embedding research within the place of work and providing direct and effective knowledge exchange of benefit to the company.

Content

Students are required to design, carry out, write up, and defend a significant project that demonstrates your knowledge and capability of carrying out high quality scientific research. They will in effect be the lead researcher for the project with access to advice from their academic supervisor(s) and the module co-ordinator.

The assessment of this research project is composed of two parts (A&B). Part A is the ‘thesis’ which should be presented for assessment in the form of a research paper (guidance provided) of an appropriate scientific journal as agreed with your academic supervisor. This part is worth 90% of the overall marks. Part B is a recorded oral ‘defence’ of the project, lasting not more than 12 minutes. This part is worth the remaining 10% of the overall marks.

Module Skills

Skills Type	Skills details
Application of Number	Collation, manipulation and analysis of data may be an integral part of the research conducted and the thesis presented.
Communication	Students will be expected to develop advanced communication skills, in particular written communication, through the presentation of a research thesis in an appropriate academic style and in accordance with University guidelines.
Improving own Learning and Performance	Students need to demonstrate good organizational skills in order to carry out their research work and ultimately produce a thesis in a timely and effective manner.
Information Technology	Students will be required to source information from a variety of scientific publication data bases and where appropriate use software statistical packages to analysis their results.
Personal Development and Career planning	It is intended that the techniques and skills developed during this module will have a direct application to student's future careers. Vocational skills, both within their subject specialism and more general transferable skills, will be developed to a high level.
Problem solving	Students are required to design and implement an investigational protocol in order to address a specific research question.
Research skills	Students are required to critically evaluate previous research work during the production of a Literature review and then collect, analyse and interpret their own research data.
Subject Specific Skills	In depth technical knowledge of the dissertation subject area.
Team work	Students may have the opportunity for developing their team skills if their dissertation work requires them to work within a research team. However the emphasis in this module is on independent research.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7