Guidelines for Writing a 7,000-Word Independent Project

Methods for Research

On completion of the unit, you should be able to:

1.  Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of critical awareness and application of theoretical and methodological perspectives relevant to an investigation of our chosen research topic

2.  Synthesise, evaluate and defend the findings of your research and communicate the results in a focused, logically organised, appropriately concluded format and referenced according to the format and standard of the Harvard system.

What am I required to do in this assignment?

You are required to write a 7,000 word Independent Project (there is a 10% leeway so you can write between 6,300 words and 7,700 words), using one of the following methods:

• Substantive literature review

• Desktop research - secondary analysis project that addresses a proposition you wish to analyse in-depth

• Content Analysis of policy documents, print media, social media, TV and/or film

• A Discourse Analysis

Your project must include the following sections:

• Title page (with the title of research/research question, student number and word count)

• Table of contents

• Introduction (research question, aims and objectives, background, a brief introduction of methodology, theory, relevant policy, and a paragraph outlining the project structure).

• A separate section on theory or policy (e.g. history of policy development) after introduction, rather than including them in the Introduction chapter. This section is optional but theory and policy should be properly discussed in relation to your research topic, either in the introduction or in a separate section.

• Methodology – the discussion of the method you chose, your search strategy, ethics.

• Findings – present themes you found through the analysis of the literature (and other types of sources, depending on your research method). This section must provide answers to your question.

• Discussion – link your discussion to theory. Also think about what your findings mean to policy and practice.

• Conclusions (and recommendations/suggestions).

• References (Harvard referencing system must be used)

You must use a minimum of 20 academic sources (i.e. peer-reviewed journal articles and academic books) in order to pass.

Your work must be Word processed, double spaced, Arial 11 Font. You must number the pages and you must also include a word count. Please do not use Internet Explorer to upload your work – occasionally it uploads a blank document if you do not close the file properly before uploading it.

Ensure that you include your in-text references. In all cases, in-text citations must match up with what appears in your reference list. Every in-text citation should correspond to a reference on the list at the end (and vice versa).

You must write in your own words. You are reminded that plagiarism of any type will be penalised and result in a fail.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

In order to pass the assessment, you will need to:

·Produce a 7,000 word Research Project that is focused, logically structured, convincingly conclusive, referenced according to the format and standard of the Harvard system and that applies critical knowledge of relevant theoretical frameworks with evidence of critical appraisal and synthesis.

·Produce a comprehensive literature section/paper of the chosen area which displays a critical grasp of the findings and theoretical frameworks of that literature.

·Selecting appropriate methods, providing a rationale for their selection, applying these methods, presenting the data obtained in an appropriate format, evaluating the limitations of the chosen methods, addressing and resolving ethical issues and drawing conclusions from the data.

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

You are expected to work independently for the assessments on this unit and seek advice from your supervisor regarding the direction of your research.

However, the lectures and seminars on the unit will provide you guidance about the key tasks you are expected to address for your independent project, namely, formulating a research question, choosing the right method, applying a theory, literature searches, critical review and analysis, developing themes, writing the discussion section and the conclusions and recommendations.

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.

You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.