Unit Outline

This unit provides you with an understanding of research literature in health sciences. Scientific literature and related pharmaceutical literature including trade publications will be appraised. The principles and skills in evaluation and interpretation of the literature will be discussed and applied to assess the validity of clinical trial design, and the presentation and interpretation of results. Basic information retrieval skills will be applied to bibliographic databases.

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.	Apply information retrieval skills to search bibliographic databases and acquire documents for review on specific topics.
2.	Critique scientific literature using knowledge of research methodology and design.
3.	Implement the principles of research methodology and project design in health and medical sciences to be able to evaluate research methodologies.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to the feedback from previous student cohort, changes have been made which may include adjustments to assessments and alignment of some of the timelines. As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2024, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s eVALUate surveys following your completion of the unit.

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:	EBM Quiz	Week 4	5 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Statistics Quiz	Week 4	5 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Assignment 1	Week 7	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 4:	Critical analysis process steps	Week 8	10 %	LO2
Assessment Task 5:	Assignment 2	Week 12	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 6:	Reflection	Week 13	5 %	LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: EBM Quiz

Task Description:

A short quiz covering elements of Parts 1 and 2 of the Evidence-based Workbook. Requires you to read these sections of the workbook.

Task Length:

1 hour

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

5 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Knowledge of evidence-based medicine concepts	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Statistics Quiz

Task Description:

A short quiz covering some basic elements of statistics concepts. Requires you to read the Introduction and Section 3 – Common Inferential Tests in the Health Statistics Workbook.

Task Length:

15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

5 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Knowledge of statistics concepts	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 3: Assignment 1

Task Description:

The assignment is based on published health literature and advertising. You are expected to find and read any referenced articles in advertisements to support your review.

Task Length:

Up to 1,500 words

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	The assignment is given a mark for the overall assignment with 90% awarded for appropriate analytical content and relevant reference to the literature.	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	10% of the mark is awarded for correct and relevant referencing (Vancouver style). Use of appropriate academic English writing skills (including grammar and spelling) and correct medical terminology.	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 4: Critical analysis process steps

Task Description:

Write a step-by-step process in dot-points of how you would critique a research paper.

Task Length:

500 words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Show a step-wise process for critiquing literature	LO2

Assessment Task 5: Assignment 2

Task Description:

The assignment is based on published health literature and advertising. Where relevant, you are expected to find and read any referenced articles in advertisements to support your review.

Task Length:

3000 words maximum

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	The assignment is given a mark for the overall assignment with 90% awarded for appropriate analytical content and relevant reference to the literature.	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	10% of the mark is awarded for correct and relevant referencing (Vancouver style). Use of appropriate academic English writing skills (including grammar and spelling) and correct medical terminology.	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 6: Reflection

Task Description:

Briefly reflect on what you have learnt in this unit by describing what you have learnt, the impact on your practice and future learning needs.

Task Length:

Maximum 500 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

5 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	The task is given a mark for thoughtful answers	LO3

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.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

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.