First section – you may wish to use chapters in which case this is
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Aim and objectives of your project that also address the importance of patient
involvement
20% of marks; remember 20% of 6000 word allowance = 1200 words
Points to right about:
Introduction
Personal rational
Service user involvement
Research Aim and Objective
Chapter 2 – Literature review
Background and critical reflection of the contemporary corpus of literature
30% of marks; remember 30% of 6000 word allowance = 1800 words
In this section, you are required to review research articles on your topic. Therefore, you need to search for research articles focused on your topic and select a suitable amount to support your discussion.The literature review should have a logical flow in which the key issues are clearly articulated, therefore in this section, you should aim to:
demonstrate how you have formulated a question that you can answer from the literature
provide a clear description of the search strategy, you could include which databases you used, the search terms you have inputted (structured around PICO/PEO/SPIDER) whether you used Boolean searching, and how you decided to include or exclude articles
demonstrate the ability to develop logical arguments using the literature presented, this will likely be supported through the use of two or three themes which have come from the research literature
provide clear evidence of the ability to critically evaluate the research literature
demonstrate the ability to critically appraise the methodology of the research evidence presented, for this consider how the research was completed and use CASP tools to support your assessment of their quality
summarise the justification for your choice of project and your project approach arising from literature. This is your link to section three.
Chapter 3 – Research proposal
Plan of research design methodology, key strategies used to assess the effectiveness of tools and techniques used, ethical considerations
30% of marks; remember 30% of 6000 word allowance = 1800 words
Within the research design methodology aim to:
provide a copy of your research project plan using the following framework
Method
This should identify the research method being used to underpin the study and explain why this is an appropriate method for answering your research question.
Design
How will the research proceed?
Participants
Participant selection should include a discussion around sampling and recruitment.
Ethics
How will you ensure the safety of participants? Think about ethical approval processes, consent, safety, debrief etc
Materials and equipment
What do you need to complete the research study?
Procedure
This section should identify the plan of how the research will be conducted.
Data collection
How will you collect data? This may be questionnaires, focus groups etc.
Data analysis
How will the collected data be analysed?
NB remember to remain critical and avoid merely describing your proposed plan for implementation.
Chapter 4 – Personal reflection
Application of study results, critically reflect on your strengths and weaknesses to identify learning needs in relation to decision making and leading future projects, dissemination of results
20% of marks; remember 20% of 6000 word allowance = 1200 words
In this final section you should aim to think about communicating what you have learned through planning your research project:
write a critical reflection about the process you have gone through to plan this project and consider how you would evaluate its success, think about the impact it has had on you and how it could impact on the wider profession if results were shared
we would encourage you to avoid the use of ‘I’ wherever possible. So, for example, ‘I am aware that the transition to staff nurse is going to be a challenge’ could be ‘evidence suggests the transition to …’ etc. However, there will be times where ‘I’ may be unavoidable.
identify future personal and professional development needs in relation to project management skills using an appropriate self-assessment tool (examples include, Belbin, DeBono, NHS Leadership tool, SWOT)
develop a personal action plan, which demonstrates how this can be achieved
consider how the results of the project will be shared with the professional and wider audience
conclusion of the project – this should be an effective summary of key issues considered in the dissertation and of your personal reflections on what you have learned
Reference List:
present all references accurately using the Harvard format
ensure in text citations match the final reference list exactly
demonstrate wide reading of a variety of relevant literature
