Identify and succinctly introduce a research topic of interest to you with reference to some relevant literature.

1) Research design and analysis (60%)
• As previously – please make use of the detailed guidance on
Moodle – see the Word Document = • The Research design and analysis (60%) section requires you
to identify a research topic.. • Choose something of interest and relevance
Research design and analysis (pt1) 10%
– Identify and succinctly introduce a research topic of interest to you with reference to some
relevant literature.
Formulate an appropriate research question.
• Write in the style of a research report
• Note – • ‘…in this essay I will…’ or • ‘…quantitative research is…’
■Be guided by the succinct, focused, well-sourced style of research report introduction
The assignment guidance notes at least two papers to inform the background – this is a very bare
minimum.. • Based on succinct introduction, develop and state a research question
Refer to and consider the principles for a research question in course materials and associated
recommended reading – (important, ethical, researchable, feasible, formulated in a focused, precise
way)
■Although the assignment constrains your design – to a specific participant number – you can still
address a wide array of questions and designs (you might consider = pilot study or feasibility study)
■You may well use a framework to specify elements of the research question

Research design and analysis (pt2) 10%
Describe the principle methods of conducting a systematic review relevant to this topic and
question.
■ Including e.g. study characteristics, information sources, and process for selection
(inclusion/exclusion).
■You do NOT need to do a systematic review – but you must provide clear and precise details of
how you would do a review for your study/review question. • For this section – very useful to use
appropriate framework for the review question
■Refer to course materials and associated texts – this section needs to be specific to your research
topic, research question, and review question
■Structure and format this section – not like an essay about what a systematic review is –
■- but like a mini-protocol for your review question
Remember = Standardised Frameworks for the Review Question
■- a very widely used method for setting questions for a review is to:
■Convert the question into a manageable, answerable format using the PICOS (PICOT or PICOTT or
just PICO) framework.

■- where the review question is framed in terms of the (P) population, (I) intervention(s), (C)
comparator(s) and (O) outcomes – of the studies that will be included in the review,
■sometimes with the appropriate (S or T) study type/ design for this review question… or sometimes
T for time period
Research design and analysis (pt3) 10%
Provide an appropriate study design and methods to answer your research question and indicate the
broad approach to data analysis you would use.
– Provide an appropriate study design and methods to answer your research question and indicate
the broad approach to data analysis you would use.
• Note the study design and methods used to answer your research question
• Specify – research design, and key methods
• e.g. sampling,
• ethics,
• data collection and measurement
• Note the ‘broad approach to analysis you would use’
• – brief detail – think about whether terms like within- / betweensubjects analysis are appropriate..
• Whether you need to note data type for primary outcome (related to research question)..
• Whether you might note parametric

Research design and analysis (pt4) 10%
Select 2 variables, one ordinal and one continuous and describe these data (using a table) including
the appropriate midpoints and range.
■Choose two variables, one ordinal and one continuous, and create a table with the appropriate
midpoints and range
■Use, and where appropriate edit from the data outputs provided
■This section is to demonstrate your grasp of data types, and your presentation of data/ findings
■You are not asked to present PRIMARY OUTCOME data – feel free to take and re-label findings –
which might be descriiptive data /participant characteristics.. or ‘secondary outcomes’

Research design and analysis (pt5) 10%
Create a graph of a variable relevant to your research, and describe this data and its distribution
(skewness)
• This section required particular application / understanding when SPSS was used…
• but now, you only need to –

• select a graph, and make appropriate descriiption about the key aspects of the data that it present
Research design and analysis (pt6) 10%
Use an appropriate method to consider the relationship between an individual, participants score
number (20) and the overall sample score at two time points.
■Final part of this section (6 x 10% .. Total 60%)
■Participant number 20 scored 31 in timescore1 and 30 in timescore2. When looking at the whole
sample, is it correct to say that their performance worsened in the second period?
■Consider approaches outlined in the course materials that could be used to clarify the relationship
between individual and group scores
■Finally – ‘.. entire section should be around 2000 words in length.’ -does not mean that each of
(10%) the sections need the same word count

READING MATERIAL
Systematic reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care by Akers, Jo; University of York, 2009

Statistics for social and health research: with a guide to SPSS by Argyrous, George, 2000

Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences by Roger Bakeman; Roger Bakeman, 2005

Research methods in health: investigating health and health services by Ann Bowling, 2014

Research methods in health: investigating health and health services, by Ann Bowling, 2014

Advanced design in nursing research by Brink, Pamela J.; Wood, Marilynn J.; Dawsonera, c1998

Advanced design in nursing research by Brink, Pamela J.; Wood, Marilynn J., c1998

Social research methods by Bryman, Alan, c2012

A student’s guide to methodology: justifying enquiry by Clough, Peter; Nutbrown, Cathy, c2012

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