SH7P42 Public Health Dissertation 2024-25 | LMU

SH7P42 Module Aims

The dissertation module provides you with an opportunity to reflect critically on your own research question in relation to the learning outcomes below. You are required to demonstrate a high level of autonomy and self-direction integrating the knowledge and skills that you have gained on the course to your research study.

The Public Health Dissertation aims to: -

• Integrate the skills and knowledge underpinning the core modules on the Public Health course and focus these on a specific research question
• Apply appropriate skills of analysis and research methodologies
• Develop competence in producing evidence to answer a specific research question using appropriate research methods
• Test ability to plan, organise and write a sustained piece of work
• Provide an opportunity for autonomy and critical reflection on a public health research topic/question
• Apply analytical and evaluation skills and knowledge to generate results and draw relevant conclusions in relation to a research topic/question
• Provide skills for drawing recommendations from evidence, with application to public health

SH7P42 Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Execute autonomously a substantive social science-based piece of research to address a public health issue

2. Select, synthesise and apply appropriate social science theories, methodologies, techniques and ethical principles to inform your own inquiry

3. Demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of the various factors influencing population health outcomes, healthcare systems and services

4. Demonstrate independent judgement to review population health and evidence informed by ethical codes of practice, social inclusion and human rights

5. Interpret evidence systematically to make sound judgements

6. Communicate key issues, arguments, findings and conclusions clearly in a style that conforms to academic conventions
 
It is recommended that you adopt a literature review to answer your specific research topic/question; however, you may choose to conduct secondary analysis of existing data, or a collection of primary data to answer your research question. Your research question and research proposal will have been developed in module SH7008 – Research Methods in Health and Social Care. You will take the research question and proposal developed in module SH7008 forward onto your dissertation project. If you wish to complete primary research, you must discuss this with the module leader as soon as possible to ensure that the necessary ethical process is completed and permission granted within the time frame available.

Session Organisation and Dissertation Supervision

This triple-module dissertation requires you to demonstrate a high degree of autonomy and responsibility in the planning and execution of this substantive work. It is strongly recommended that you engage with the online workshops, support sessions, and material provided; they are designed to help you with the key elements of the dissertation project. Details are available on the WebLearn page for the dissertation project – SH7P42 2023/24.

You will be assigned a dissertation supervisor in the semester in which you are due to submit your dissertation. You will work with and receive support from your supervisor. You will have five group supervision sessions and a one-to-one tutorial with your assigned supervisor, in addition to engaging with the learning materials and group support workshops provided.

Preparing for group Support Workshops

Read beforehand - you should be able to access the readings a week before a workshop. You are required to read the set text and articles to discuss in class

Get organised from the start

• Diarise key events
• Find a system of note-taking that works for you
• Create storage systems [plus portable storage, i.e., files] for the module
• Decide where you will study at home [and in university]
• Create a realistic timetable that includes some social time

Read the PowerPoint before the session

Look regularly at WebLearn for information and to engage with the discussion board, access powerpoints, and readings

Contact the module or course leader if you are having difficulty. We are here to help you, so please let us know if you are finding the study difficult
 
What is expected of you

You are expected to develop a professional approach to your work. We hope it will be an interesting and enjoyable process for you. It is your responsibility to prepare a programme of independent study outside of that provided in the supporting workshops. More details on the supervision process are provided later in this document.

Regarding the online workshops, as a general rule:

• If you cannot come to a session, email to let us know – try to catch up on what you have missed via WebLearn
• Try to come to as many workshops as you possibly can. Those who attend regularly do far better in assessments
• If you are late, enter the virtual classroom and set your microphone to silent
• Join in discussions - be brave and share your ideas in the group
• Ask questions - if you're thinking it, someone else will be too
• Have a go and make mistakes - you can't learn without taking a risk
• Listen actively during teaching times without disruption [questions are allowed]
• Form good working relationships with other students - very important
• Attend tutorials and act on advice offered

Study hours

You are expected to study for a total of 600 hours on this module, made up in the following way:

• Timetabled group support workshops and online tasks – 20 hours
• Preparation for supervision 40 hours
• Self-directed study 540 hours

What you can expect from us

• We will try to make the workshops and support materials as interesting and relevant as we can
• We will be well prepared, and we have expertise and interest in Public Health
• Materials will be on WebLearn well in advance of sessions
• We will communicate with you via ‘announcements’ on WebLearn any changes to the programme
• We will value what you bring to the module – we want to hear about your experiences and what you have learned through your reading

 The Supervision Process

The role of the supervisor is to guide you, not to control the process. The group support workshops and online resources will support you in moving to greater control over your work. You will be informed of the dates, time and location of the group supervision sessions at the start of the semester. Your attendance at these sessions is expected and will be monitored. You will arrange a suitable time for your online one-to-one tutorial directly with your supervisor.

Your first meeting with your supervisor will involve a discussion of your research aims and objectives, as covered in the SH7008 – Research Methods in Health and Social Care module; the research proposal submitted for SH7008 provides the framework for your dissertation. Also, in your first meeting, you should agree on key milestones with your supervisor. Make sure that you take notes during your supervision meetings and record actions that you need to complete.

Your ongoing supervision meetings will be more constructive if you come prepared with specific questions to ask of your supervisor. Your supervisor will provide guidance on the structure of your work and will review and comment on one chapter (of your choosing) of your final dissertation draft.

SH7P42 Assessment

The dissertation is worth 100% of your mark for this module (12,000-15,000 words)
Your dissertation should include the following areas:

Title Page (not included in the word count)

Your research paper must include a title page including the title of the dissertation, your name and student identification number, the date of submission, the course and field title.

Declaration of Originality (not included in the word count)

Your research paper must also include a statement of the originality of the work. It should read as follows: “This dissertation is the work of {your name} and has been completed solely in fulfilment of a dissertation for the MSc in Public Health at London Metropolitan University.”

Acknowledgements (not included in the word count)

You should thank those who have helped you throughout the course of your research in your Acknowledgements section; this includes both personal and professional acknowledgements.

Contents Page (not included in the word count)

You should provide a Contents Page providing the page numbers of the main sections of your dissertation. The Contents Page should be followed by a List of Abbreviations used in your paper, a List of Tables included within your dissertation, a List of Figures included within your dissertation and a List of Appendices.

Abstract

You should include an Abstract to provide a brief summary of your research. The Abstract should include the headings Introduction, Method, Results, Conclusion and should be no more than 400 words.

Introduction

Your introduction should provide a detailed background to your chosen research topic, including the epidemiology of your chosen public health issue. Your introduction should include a rationale for why your chosen research is important. At the end of this section, you should introduce the purpose of your research, the research question(s), your aim, and objectives.

Method

In the Method section, you should provide details of how you achieved your aim and objectives in response to your research question(s). You should provide a level of detail that would enable others to replicate your work exactly. This could include, for example, completing a systematic search and review of the literature, a detailed search strategy including the search terms used and how they have been combined using Boolean operators, inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sources of information, and the date restrictions of your search to identify the existing evidence in answer to your research question(s). In addition, you should identify the tools used to critically appraise the identified evidence, including details of their application. You may be
 
Thematically analysing the identified evidence, in which case, a detailed explanation of how this, or indeed other analyses, have been conducted should be included. Please note, these are examples of what you might include and are not an exhaustive list of what to include in your methods section.

Results

This section should present the findings from your research in answer to the research question(s). If completing a literature review, this could include, for example, a PRISMA flow diagram outlining the results of your search strategy, a data extraction table, and a critical analysis of the included evidence. If conducting a Thematic Analysis, then the results of this analysis would be included in this section also. Again, please note that these are just examples and are not an exhaustive list of what to include in your results section.

Discussion

This section should discuss what the results mean and why they matter in relation to your research question(s). You will explain how your findings fit with what other researchers have found, current public health practice, and policy, referring to your wider reading presented in your Introduction. You will discuss recommendations and the implications for practice, identify the perspectives for future research, discuss the strengths and limitations of your research and draw conclusions from your findings.

Reflective Account

You should include a Reflective Account detailing your experience and development in the completion of this research. This is your chance to reflect on what you have learnt during this research, the decisions that you made, what went well, what areas could be improved and what you would do differently if you were to complete this research again. You are required to use a recognised model of reflection to support the development of your reflective account. In total, the reflective account should be no more than 2,500 words.

References (not included in the word count)

Your reference section allows the reader of your work to trace the sources of information that you have used. It is very important to reference your work accurately using the London Metropolitan Harvard referencing format. The Harvard referencing guide can be found on the London Metropolitan Library webpages.

Appendices (not included in the word count)

Any supporting information relevant to the research should be included in an appendix. This is not strictly essential; the research report should include all of the information required to adequately answer your research question(s) and be understandable to the reader without having to refer to your appendices.

SH7P42 Postgraduate Generic Marking Criteria- Level 7

Resources and Workshop Schedule

A series of resources are available for you on the module WebLearn page in the Learning Materials folder. These cover:

1. An introduction to the dissertation project
2. Managing the supervision process
3. The structure of the dissertation
4. The reflective account

In addition to these online resources, five workshops are scheduled on specific topics.

Formal Requirements:

1. You are expected to attend the five dissertation workshops and the five group supervision sessions. Attendance is monitored.

2. Your submitted dissertation should comply with the following conventions:

It should be between 12,000 and 15,000 words (excluding references, table of contents, acknowledgements and appendices). Work exceeding the limit may be penalised

It should be typed in A4 format using double spacing, page numbers and adequate margins of at least 2.5cm on each side or such as those defined by the defaults of major word-processing programmes. Handwritten work is not acceptable

The dissertation should follow the conventions outlined in the Assessment section on pages 7 and 8 of this document