This course will introduce students to the principles and processes involved in designing and conducting research studies in health sciences using systematic reviews, qualitative, quantitative and health economics approaches. This course will prepare students to complete an in-depth research project.

This course is made up of lectures in semester 1.

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• Set exercise focused on carrying out a particular research method, 1500 words (30% of final grade)

• Short-answer question paper (70% of final grade) 

This course aims to equip students with an understanding of the research process, enabling them to design, conduct, analyse, and write up a substantive project dissertation based on research or structured inquiry. This will include developing skills to systematically search, synthesise and present literature, and in different methodological approaches to research in health sciences.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically appraise different research methods (including quantitative and qualitative methods), together with the underpinning rationale for methodological approaches, sampling, data collection, and analysis methods of each approach (including the applicability for low- and middle-income countries).

2. Identify and apply effective strategies for literature reviews, including systematic reviews.

3. Discuss and debate principles of research ethics, and governance, and the practical implications of each in research across countries of high, middle and low income.

4.Construct research questions and justify suitable methodology for the development of an empirical study involving the collection of primary data or secondary analysis of existing data.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.