Research Skills Project

Unit Code:HES4701

Credit Points	Duration	Contact Hours	Campus	Prerequisite	Corequisite
12.5 Credit Points	1 Semester	3 Hours per Week	Hawthorn	Completion of 100 credit points of major.	Nil

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Bachelor of Health Science (Public and Environmental Health), Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry and Chemistry) , Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) , and Chemistry and Environmental Sustainability Majors.

Aims & Objectives:

To develop the skills necessary to undertake a research project.
To assist the student in identifying appropriate research topics and methodologies.

At the completion of this unit, students should be able to;

Independently gain the necessary knowledge to undertake meaningful research
Identify appropriate research topics and methodologies
Perform basic data management tasks and analyses using a computer
Apply tools of research preparation including problem formulation, undertaking a literature review, research designs, developing a hypothesis, ethical implications, time management, and assessing resourcing implications
Articulate the contributions of qualitative and quantitative methods to a specific discipline such as environmental health research
Carry out initial critical appraisals of academic literature
Draft an academic paper appropriately structured for publication

Teaching Methods:

Lectures, Class Discussion, Independent Research.

Assessment:

Project documentation (80-90%), Class presentation (10-20%).

Generic Skills Outcomes:

Students are expected to enhance all their graduate attributes during this subject and should
consult with their lecturer if they are not clear as to how this subject achieves this. Specifically
graduates will be:

Capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas
Entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business,
workplace, or community
Aware of their ecological and economic environments
Effective and ethical in work and community situations
Adaptable and manage change
Aware of local and international environments in which they will be contributing

Content:

Identification of proposed research topic, methodology and hypotheses.
Research preparation: Problem formulation, research design, objectives and scope, ethics.
Planning strategies, information sources, time management and team work.
Research methodologies appropriate to the sciences.
Literature review: abstracting and paraphrasing, citations and bibliographies.
Research presentation and follow up: layout, style, press release and follow-up strategies.

Reading Materials:

Leedy, P, Practical Research: Planning and Design, Macmillan, 1993.
Bouma, GD ( 2004) The research process, 5th edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne
Neuman, WL (2006) Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 6th
edn, Allen and Bacon, Boston.
Betts, K, Hayward, D & Garnham, N, (2001) Introduction to Quantitative Analysis in the Social
Science, Tertiary Press, Melbourne.