Research Methods & Dissertation

Module Title: Research Methods & Dissertation
ECTS: 30

Module Coordinators:
Dr Sarah Parker, Research Fellow
Dr Carlos Bruen, Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Management

Module Description:
Health and social care policy, practice and service management should be informed by the best available evidence translated where it can impact most. Building on the breadth of analytic approaches introduced across the taught modules, this research module focuses on developing key research skills and competencies for generating, gathering, appraising and translating data and evidence to inform health policy, practice and/or service management.

This will support students through the journey of planning and conducting their research project, from the development of their research question and protocol through to analysis and write-up. Strategies for disseminating research outputs for both academic and non-academic audiences will also be addressed.

Students will be provided with:

a series of lectures that:

introduces the fundamentals of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research;
addresses the pivotal position, basic principles and methodologies of gathering, appraising and synthesising evidence in the context of applied health and social care research, policy and practice;
guides the development of a research study protocol, applying for ethics (as appropriate) and good research practice;
develops academic writing and review skills.

individual supervision.
the opportunity to work independently on their own research project.

A dissertation for the MSc in Health Policy and Management should place emphasis on both the scientific aspects of the subject, and its translational potential into policy, practice and/or service management. To that end, studies focused on the analysis and reviews of secondary data or existing evidence are encouraged.

Part-time students complete this module in their second year.

Module Objectives:

Examine philosophical, theoretical, and conceptual underpinnings to different research approaches.
Contrast different methodologies used to synthesise knowledge.
Develop in-depth understanding of research evidence and other forms of knowledge, and how these relate to and translate into policy and practice.
Build skills and competencies for conducting independent research.
Develop a viable research study protocol that demonstrates an understanding of the fit between research objectives, questions, methodological design and anticipated research outcomes.
Develop and submit an ethics application (where appropriate).
Apply skills and competencies to deliver the research dissertation
Write up findings and recommendations in the context of existing literature and considering their translational potential to inform policy, practice and/or service management.

Module learning outcomes:
On successful completion of the module students will:

Plan, design and undertake a research dissertation on a topic of relevance to health policy and management
Critically discuss the theoretical, conceptual and methodological underpinnings of their chosen study design
Select and utilise appropriate research tools to conduct ethical research, and justify choices
Analyse data and/or existing evidence using an appropriate analytic framework, and justify choices
Construct valid research arguments in the context of analysis
Identify links between their research and its translational potential to inform policy, practice and/or service management
Write a dissertation based on evidence gathered through appropriate data collection and analysis