Evidence-Based Literature Review

In this module you will focus on a biological topic, under the supervision of a member of staff. The Literature review component will provide experience in the use of information databases to research a given area and allows you to explore the chosen subject area to a high level of breadth and detail. You will critically appraise the current literature to summarise gaps in our current understanding. One particular area of the review will be presented in an oral presentation to communicate key findings to other staff and students. Semester 2 will focus on the critical analysis of select papers relevant to the gap in knowledge previously identified. The analysis will inform a research proposal. The proposal will demonstrate consideration of the safety and ethics requirements for such work. The proposal will include elements of communication to both technical and lay audiences.

The overall aim of the project is to help students become effective independent learners, using a research-led and enquiry-based approach and to enhance students’ written and verbal communication skills. The module provides an opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate skills including: Independence and organisation, library and data base research, extended writing, written and oral communication to a range of audiences, summarising and processing complex information, critical anlaysis, experimental design and interpretation. 

By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Collect, organise and synthesise a large body of information from a range of relevant sources
• Present their findings in a structured written report
• Communicate some of the work in an oral presentation
• Critically appraise the literature to identify a target area of research for further investigation
• Design appropriate experimental approaches
• Show an understanding of appropriate controls and statistical analyses
• Show an understanding of the Safety and Ethical issues of the proposed research
• Communicate and justify the concepts of the project to a diverse range of target audiences