Unit Outline

This unit is the third of a Research Thesis unit series concerning the development, planning and conduct of a research project in clinical pharmacy, pharmacy practice or clinical pharmacology. This unit focuses on results discussion and an oral presentation. Students must undertake all units (Research Thesis 1, 2, 3 and 4) to complete their research thesis in the Master of Clinical Pharmacy. An interim result will be awarded for successful completion and a final result will be issued in the final unit.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Discuss the results of your own research by comparing your findings with that of published literature and drawing conclusions.
2.	Communicate to the standards of scientific publications.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CSA721
Concurrent Pre-requisite	CSA712, CSA713
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	CSA729, CSA730

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Added assessable tasks due to UTAS Learning and Teaching requirements.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Journal selection	Week 4	0 %	LO2
Assessment Task 2:	Oral Presentation	Week 11	0 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Written assignment of discussion section	Week 13	0 %	LO1, LO2

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Journal selection

Task Description:

Select an appropriate peer-reviewed research journal that would likely fit with your research topic and describe why the selected journal is the right place for your research paper.

Your manuscript for CSA715 should meet the journal requirements regarding word counts, heading names and maximum numbers of figures and pictures and references.

This is a hurdle task.

Task Length:

400 words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Clearly state the selected journal and describe why this journal is suitable for your research paper.	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Oral Presentation

Task Description:

Prepare and deliver a PowerPoint presentation focussing on the research background, aims, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.

This is a hurdle task.

Task Length:

10-minute presentation plus 5 minutes of question-and-answer time

Due Date:

Week 11

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	The overall logical presentation of your PowerPoint with topic background, research question, research methods, findings and conclusion and, if applicable, relevance to relevance to practice.	LO1, LO2
2	Clear presentation of research findings with tables and/or figures.	LO1, LO2
3	The extent to which answers to questions are provided with knowledge and clarity	LO1

Assessment Task 3: Written assignment of discussion section

Task Description:

This assignment aims to develop your ability to interpret the research findings and write a discussion section.

You are required to discuss your research findings and submit a written copy of this assessment task as supporting evidence for the completion of the milestone of this unit.

The assignment should be written in academic English, word-processed and formatted in double-spaced, 12-point text with 2 cm margins. Pages should be numbered consecutively. The document should be free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Vancouver-based referencing style is required in this unit. For detailed requirements for referencing, please read the Recommendations of the ‘International Committee of Medical Journals Editors’ (www.icmje.org) and refer the British Medical Journal as an example.

You must submit your discussion via MyLO drop box before the date due.

This is a hurdle task.

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	The extent to which the results are interpreted by placing their relevance within the context of existing literature.	LO1
2	The ability to draw appropriate conclusions based on your research findings.	LO1
3	Appropriate discussion of the limitations of your research and future directions	LO1
4	The extent to which the review is presented in an academic style of writing	LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.