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Unit aim
Provides postgraduate students with the opportunity to develop advanced critical thinking, writing and research skills, culminating in a draft literature review. Students learn to conduct an advanced literature search, critically analyse research literature, establish an advanced bibliographic database, write critically in an academic style, structure a research report and develop an academic argument.
Unit content
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Choosing an appropriate research topic for postgraduate study
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Advanced literature searching strategies
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Using advanced citation and referring tools
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Critical reading and note-taking from research literature
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Writing critically in an academic style
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Using advanced documentation processing for research writing
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Developing an argument through a critical literature review
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
Learning outcomes and graduate attributes
GA1: Intellectual rigour,
GA2: Creativity,
GA3: Ethical practice,
GA4: Knowledge of a discipline,
GA5: Lifelong learning,
GA6: Communication and social skills,
GA7: Cultural competence| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 |
|---|
| 1 | Locate research literature relevant to an appropriate research topic for postgraduate study | Intellectual rigour | | | | Lifelong learning | | |
| 2 | Analyse and critique research literature to formulate and structure a well-argued critical literature review
| Intellectual rigour | | | | Lifelong learning | Communication and social skills | |
| 3 | Demonstrate advanced academic writing and referencing skills | Intellectual rigour | | | | | Communication and social skills | |
| 4 | Reflect on learning and understanding of advanced research skills. | | | | | Lifelong learning | Communication and social skills | |
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Locate research literature relevant to an appropriate research topic for postgraduate study
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA5:
Lifelong learning
- Analyse and critique research literature to formulate and structure a well-argued critical literature review
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA5:
Lifelong learning
- GA6:
Communication and social skills
- Demonstrate advanced academic writing and referencing skills
- GA1:
Intellectual rigour
- GA6:
Communication and social skills
- Reflect on learning and understanding of advanced research skills.
- GA5:
Lifelong learning
- GA6:
Communication and social skills
Prescribed texts
Session 1
- Phelps, R, Fisher, K & Ellis, A, 2007, Organizing and Managing Your Research: a practical guide for postgraduates, Sage Publications, London.
Prescribed texts may change in future study periods.