GS508

Title Formulating a Research Project Proposal

5 ECTS

Module description

In this module students will develop and present a detailed research project proposal which may form the basis, in whole or in part, for their PhD research project or for a postdoctoral fellowship application. The student will read and critically analyse the relevant literature thoroughly to acquire a detailed knowledge of the state of the art. The student will identify a significant research question. The proposal will include the research question to be addressed and explain why it is important, the methodological approach and the expected findings. A research project plan should form part of the proposal. The expected impact must also be included. Students will be expected to consult with others, including their supervisor, and seek feedback on how to improve the research proposal. The research proposal will be presented in written format.  Students will also be expected to present the research proposal orally and to make a convincing case for the research to be undertaken.

Learning outcomes

1. Read and critically evaluate relevant literature.
2. Identify a significant research question.
3. Research and formulate a detailed research proposal and plan.
4. Improve a research proposal in response to feedback received.
5. Present a research proposal in writing.
6. Convince an audience of the merits of a proposed research project.

Module resources/ Any other resources: Epigeum Research Methods in Literature Review, Epigeum Managing your Research Project

Common Content for all supervisor-owned GS modules:

Teaching period all year

Module description The student should only register for this module in the academic year that they intend to complete the module.

Module content & assessment

Indicative content Completion of this module may require the student to attend workshops or seminars, complete training (including online training), maintain a reflective journal recording the student’s experience of their learning and/or completion of specific tasks or assessments. The content will be designed by the student’s supervisor so as to ensure that the student can achieve the module’s learning outcomes and that the supervisor can assess that the learning outcomes have been met by the student.

Department-based assessment

The research student’s supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the student has achieved the learning outcomes for this module and for recording this result in the student record system.

The supervisor will gather and retain written evidence that the student t has achieved the module’s learning outcomes. Each piece of evidence may only be used to demonstrate that the learning outcomes have been achieved for a specific module, i.e. no double-counting of learning achieved.

Results to be recorded on a Pass/Fail basis, with a Pass mark of 40%.

Each student may only receive credit for this module once.

Workload type/Independent & Directed Learning (non-contact)/

All learning and assessment activities/ all learning outcomes/100-125 hours for 5 ECTS

Any other resources: Online training materials are available on the Researcher Development Centre (RDC) Portal. Such resources include those from Epigeum (The Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit is available under the Self-Paced Courses section).