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Academic Research Project

Module description

Learning to conduct original scientific research is essential for your scientific training and future career. In this module, you will gain hands-on experience of conducting cutting-edge scientific research under the guidance of professional researchers. You will work closely with one of more academics in small groups sessions learning how to conduct an independent research project on a subject of your choice related to practical or theoretical environmental science. You will be responsible for designing, planning and implementing the study, as well as analysing the data and writing it up for a world class peer-reviewed academic journal. This project may follow on from and expand beyond your third year dissertation project. Through submitting your dissertation in the format of one named scientific journal you will gain an in-depth understanding of how Environmental Science is practiced and how research is reported.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aims of this module are:

• To familiarise you with the existing scientific literature in a particular study area related to environmental science, and teach you to assimilate this knowledge in a succinct and critical manner.
• To give you experience in undertaking a substantial research project and to put into practice the knowledge you have acquired from the taught elements of the programme. In some cases you will conduct your research project alongside practical environmental scientists in collaborating governmental and non-governmental organisations. In all cases you will be supervised by a member of academic staff from the University of Exeter.

By the end of the module, you will have reviewed and assimilated a substantial portion of the existing literature on an aspect of environmental science, and carried out a piece of original research (or research which extends our knowledge on a topic), analysed the results using appropriate methods and learned how to disseminate the results in an appropriate manner.  Please consider the physical demands of certain projects before committing to them in this module; in this regard we will make reasonable adjustments to facilitate your research. This module will normally be related to and advance beyond your third year research dissertation project, however, with your supervisor’s permission you may follow an entirely new research direction.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Undertake critical and self-motivated exploration of topics of relevance to your research community and/or governmental/non-governmental organisations, which qualify you to be a knowledgeable expert in the subject matter of your chosen topic
• 2. Critically and independently assess the field in which your research project will be conducted
• 3. Independently design and present a means of dealing with a critical research issue
• 4. Follow systematically and consistently the phases of a research project, i.e. experimental design, data collection, data analysis and report writing using methods and techniques agreed by the supervisor

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Analyse and evaluate critically essential facts and theory across a sub-discipline of the environmental sciences
• 6. Analyse and evaluate critically and independently a range of literature relating to current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline and embed research-informed examples from the literature in written work
• 7. Identify and apply, autonomously and with originality, appropriate methodologies and theories for solving a range of complex and demanding problems in the environmental sciences
• 8. Deploy, autonomously, established techniques of analysis, practical investigation, and enquiry within the environmental sciences
• 9. Evaluate in detail and critique approaches to our understanding of the environmental sciences with reference to primary literature, reviews and research articles

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 10. Devise and sustain independently a logical and reasoned argument with sound, convincing conclusions
• 11. Communicate very effectively arguments, evidence and conclusions in a range of complex and specialised contexts using a variety of formats to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• 12. Analyse and evaluate appropriate data and complete a range of research tasks independently
• 13. Evaluate own strengths and weaknesses in relation to graduate-level professional and practical skills, and act autonomously to develop new areas of skills as necessary demonstrating the skills and attitudes needed to advance own knowledge and understanding
• 14. Reflect effectively and independently on learning experiences and evaluate critically personal achievements

Syllabus plan

This Academic Research Project is a major step towards becoming an independent scientist. Learning to conduct original scientific research is essential for your scientific training and future career. In this module, you will gain hands-on experience of conducting cutting-edge scientific research under the guidance of professional researchers.

This 4th year project is similar to your dissertation research project in third year, but it is a more substantive piece of work being worth 60 credits. The dissertation itself must be between 7000-8000 words to bring it in line with common environmental science journal article formats. The second summative part of the module is a 2000 word literature review on the same topic as the dissertation.

Assessment of this module:

1) A formative research proposal submitted in year 3.

2) A 2000 word literature review in year 4. 10% of module

3) A 7000-8000 word research dissertation in year 4. 90% of module.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted.  The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to write a further scientific paper. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Reading will be as agreed between student and project supervisors. Reference will be made to the most recent articles and reports in the field and will focus on the primary literature.

Also of use when planning and writing up the project will be:

• Clifford, N., French, S., Gillespie, T.W. and Cope, M., 2016. Key methods in geography. Key Methods in Geography, pp.1-752
• Ruxton, G.D. and Colegrave, N. (2006) Experimental Design for the Life Sciences. OUP. ISBN 01992 52327
• Barass, R (2002) Scientists Must Write: A Guide to Better Writing for Scientists, Engineers and Students

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: 

  Course: Academic Research Project (GEOM052_T_1_202324) (exeter.ac.uk)

  
  

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Journals:

• Ecology and Society https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/
• Environmental Earth Sciences https://link.springer.com/journal/12665

Key words search

Research, data analysis, experimental design, data collection, environmental science, scientific writing