BIOL4094: Research Project (MBiol)

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• To carry out a research project in a specific topic on biological sciences to Masters' degree standard.
• To produce a poster and perform an oral presentation to communicate the research undertaken to an audience of peers.
• To write a research proposal in the style of a UKRI research proposal.
• To produce a thesis to Masters' degree standard based on the research project.

• Supervised and self-directed research.
• Self-directed analysis, review of literature, and research proposal, poster, oral presentation and thesis production.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Knowledge and understanding to Masters' degree level of a selected topic in biological sciences.

Subject-specific Skills:

• To be able to carry out an independent research-led piece of work in the area of biological sciences, in which qualities such as time management, problem solving, and independence are evident.
• To be able to prepare a thesis on a specialised research topic, reporting on research carried out by the student, in which complex information and detailed argument is presented in a clear and orderly way to a standard suitable for publication with minimal editing.
• To be able to present the results of research in a form accessible to an audience of peers, in the form of a poster and an oral presentation.
• To articulate the broader impact and relevance of the research, the proposed experimental plan and personal training required in the format of a research proposal.

Key Skills:

• Literacy, in being able to consult and extract information from printed and online archives.
• Numeracy, in data analysis, statistics and calculation.
• Communication skills, in presenting research proposal, poster, thesis report and oral presentation.
• IT skills, in use of online databases.
• Self-motivation, in self-guided learning, independent work on research proposal, thesis report and poster and oral presentation.
• Time-management, in planning experimental work.
• Academic qualities, such as flexibility, discrimination and resourcefulness, together with personal qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring: i. the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility; ii. decision making in complex and unpredictable contexts; iii. problem posing and problem solving; iv. identification of and respect for empirical data.

• Research Project: an extended piece of research, based on academic research being carried out in the Department or the Field. The student has the opportunity to carry out research in a self-directed manner, based on training in generic areas, and on a framework supplied by the project supervisor. The project is assessed by means of a research proposal, a thesis prepared to Masters' degree standard, containing material suitable for publication, and by a poster and an oral presentation based on the student's research.
• Project supervision: the project supervisor will meet with the student for a minimum average 1 hour per week throughout the project and thesis preparation to discuss progress. The project supervisor will also read and criticise a research proposal and thesis draft.

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