Successful MSc Projects

Student guidance for 2012-13

Improving health worldwide www.lshtm.ac.uk

Successful MSc projects

• Based on material and slides provided by: Stuart Anderson, Rory Donnelly, Jane Falconer, Anna Foss, Helen Hogan, Punam Mangtani, Michael Miles, Dorothea Nitsch, Doug Parkin, and Cathy Zimmerman •

This presentation is intended to be applicable School-wide, for both F2F and DL projects – it may be further adapted by individual MSc courses

Outline of this session

• • • • • The project as a learning experience Project approval process Main project work Key sections of the report How projects are assessed

The project as a learning experience

Outcomes: knowledge and understanding (relevant to your course!)

• • • • • show understanding of a substantive area of knowledge (including prior literature and project context) apply, deepen and develop concepts & skills learnt during the course – gaining specific real-world experience analyse data or literature, and form clear conclusions or recommendations (while being aware of any limitations) show ability to think critically and develop original ideas where appropriate, reflect on relevant social, ethical or scientific issues

Outcomes: skills and competencies (relevant to your course!)

• • • • demonstrate independent research skills (inc. awareness of practical issues and potential pitfalls, ability to plan and organise time) apply an appropriate range of investigative and analytical

methods

show competencies relevant to your project type (whether literature review, data collection or analysis; desk-based or fieldwork; in UK or abroad; working with an organisation; etc.) present your findings as a clear and coherent long-form report, carefully structured in a professional style, with accurate and systematic referencing

Examples of competencies

• For Epidemiology (linked to allowed project types): i) Data analysis ii) Protocol for epidemiological research project iii) Critical review of epidemiological hypotheses/methods iv) Modelling

Demonstrating your abilities

Skills to demonstrate

Critical thinking Independent research skills Analysis and evaluation Clear coherent writing Professional presentation

Related elements of project report

Background, literature and theory elements Data collection and findings sections Data analysis (qualitative and/or quantitative), conclusions and recommendation sections The entire written report Structure, style and referencing all following standard conventions ...and many alumni tell us that doing the project has been very helpful for their professional/career development

Project process vs product

The process – doing the work, e.g.

• a literature review • study design/research proposal • data collection / analysis etc.

This is main work – but also leave enough time to write about it!

The product – communicating the results, i.e.

• report in an academic professional format (as per School criteria)

This is the content that will be marked!

A ‘write as you go’ approach is advisable to combine these elements

And good time management is key throughout

Project handbook

• The project handbook – available on Moodle – contains all key guidance from the School and your MSc about doing a project – Aim to at least skim-read the whole thing so you have an idea of what it covers – Then go back to specific sections as a detailed resource during different stages of the project

Key sections of project handbook

– – – – – – – – What you can expect from your supervisor Guidance on developing your proposal – including specific types of project for your course (see Part 2 of the handbook) How to complete the CARE form and get it approved Risk assessment Ethics Required format for project report, and typical structure How to reference appropriately and avoid plagiarism (also see the Academic Writing handbook ) Deadlines and how to submit final report

Independent learning

Complex learning is messy, uncertain and ambiguous...

• • • • • As an independent learner, you should aspire to – live with (and ideally enjoy!) this show resilience when faced with setbacks produce your own results and conclusions update and change your conclusions as you continue work know what support you need from others throughout (and not always expect your supervisor to tell you what to do)

Your supervisor

• • For fairness, there is a School-wide limit (10 hours max over the summer) on the time a supervisor can spend supporting each student. Input from personal tutors is also constrained during the period of project work.

• • Support from your supervisor should be to: – guide you in the right direction – boost you over hurdles It should not be to: – carry you over the finish line

Project approval process

Identifying project topic

• • • • • Some LSHTM MScs offer a ‘menu’ of potential project topics – but most don’t. Vital to start on this early!

Think about things like: – disease area or methodological area of interest – geographical area Talk to tutors and possibly Course Directors Examples of past projects can be helpful to give you ideas about what’s possible in a project – see www.lshtm.ac.uk/library/collections/mscprojects.html

Search for relevant literature on PubMed / Medline etc.

(check there’s enough out there to support work, e.g. at least 5 results on a quick search)

Identifying supervisors

• • • • Your supervisor should be able to provide academic support relevant to the project topic, and be in a position to have regular contact with you during it.

As well as an academic supervisor from LSHTM, students may also work with external supervisors or technical advisors – e.g. staff of an NGO or other body working at the project location.

LSHTM website is a good way to identify staff with research interests in the same area ( www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people ) If working overseas, it’s particularly crucial to ensure you have adequate local support in place.

Proposal development

• • • • Your initial project proposal (put it together using the CARE form) should give at least a short description of: - overall aim and specific objectives - methods of investigation - how to analyse and present results - likely outputs and significance Also develop an outline project plan and timetable Identify key risks and have a back-up project in mind in case things goes wrong or off-track Budget for travel, accommodation, visas and other expenses, materials, etc.

The CARE form

• • • • This is the Combined Academic, Risk assessment and Ethics approval form – available on Moodle Should be a comprehensive summary of the work you intend to do in your project, so staff have sufficient information to give approval It should also help you develop your proposal, prompting on a number of key points to think about Examples of past forms are available at

www.lshtm.ac.uk/edu/taughtcourses/studentforms/ careforms.html

Main sections of the CARE form

• • • • • Section 1 – Student and course information Section 2 – Approval and submission status (sign-off) Section 3 – Academic proposal Section 4 – Risk assessment details Section 5 – Ethics details

You cannot start main work on your project until the

CARE form has been fully approved (especially for Ethics)

Staff input to CARE

• • Make use of input from your (potential) supervisor and other relevant staff like tutors or Course Directors, as well as using the literature, to ensure your project design is as good as can be You should expect to have some dialogue with staff, prompting revisions to the form, before a final version is ready to be approved

Approvals from outside LSHTM

• • Vital to confirm whether your intended project needs local approval, normally for ethics If needed, prepare and submit an application for approval by the appropriate local body

Key milestones for CARE

Milestone

Initial planning – identify your project topic and supervisor, and start putting your ideas together using the CARE form Proposal development – prepare a draft project proposal, get feedback from supervisor and/or other staff, then update and submit for supervisor approval Proposal approval – get approval in series from supervisor, Course Director, MSc Research Ethics Committee (for projects using non-public-domain human data), and Faculty Safety Supervisor (for lab projects with hazardous materials).

Proposal sign-off – once all approvals received, submit approved CARE form to TSO or the DL Office. Send MSc Ethics Committee any further local ethics approval received. You are now ready to start main project work.

Deadline

Late January Late February

Late March

(ahead of School Ethics deadline, Fri 05 April)

Early May

(standard TSO/DL Office deadline is Fri 10 May)

Main project work

Last preparations…

• • • After the CARE form has been fully approved, you can start main work (data collection/analysis) on your project – though most F2F MSc students will wait until after the summer exams But April and May (alongside last module work) is always a key time to do last preparatory work – e.g. Literature Review section, expanding Background/Context section, developing proposed Methods, conceptual framework, plan for presentation of Results, outline structure of whole report Also crucial to prepare a project plan for doing all main work – timetable (key stages through data collection, analysis and writing-up), travel & accommodation, materials, budget, etc.

Project planning and landmarks

• • • Your project plan should ideally set out clear ‘landmarks’ to be achieved by different stages Undertaking sufficient preparatory ahead of the summer exams is particularly key, so you can then start main work without delay An example of preparatory landmarks for a data analysis project: “By May 2013, I expect to have – Finished the literature review – – Cleaned the data Outlined a project time-table – – Outlined methods section according to aim/objectives Derived empty tables”

Project planning and landmarks

• An example of preparatory landmarks for a systematic literature review: “By May 2013, I expect to have – Defined my search strategy – – – Set Inclusion/Exclusion criteria Set quality grading criteria Have an overall total of papers to review/score” • And of course the ‘final’ landmarks for every project will be to get the research completed, written-up, revised based on supervisor feedback, proof-read, and submitted by the deadline...

Travel

• • • If you are travelling overseas, make sure your passport is up-to date, arrange necessary visas, vaccinations, prophylactic medicines (for malaria etc.), and insurance LSHTM provides insurance cover for London-based students carrying out projects overseas – need to complete a form Investigate air travel options early (for good value from UK, try STA Travel, Trailfinders, Journey Latin America, Scotts Travel) and make preliminary travel reservations. But beware of cancellation fees if last-minute changes have to be made...

Milestones for main project

Milestone

Last preparatory work – any last follow-up on the proposal development stage before starting main work. This may include doing a full background literature review. Also confirm your overall schedule and any travel arrangements.

Associated dates

April-May (ahead of LSHTM exams) Data collection and analysis – the main body of work for your project. Try to write up as you go!

June-July (after LSHTM exams) Final work and writing up – any last elements of data collection and/or analysis, plus putting together a complete draft of the full report.

Get supervisor’s comments on full draft, if they haven’t already given feedback on ‘write as you go’ sections and chapters.

August (as early as possible!) Submission – finalise your report, incorporating supervisor feedback, and submit to TSO or DL Office as per requirements and deadlines set out in the project handbook.

Start September (don’t miss the deadline or you fail!)

Resources for literature searching & reviewing

• • Library help pages at

www.lshtm.ac.uk/library/help

include: – accessing databases , – running an effective literature search – citing references properly Information Skills tutorials on topics like literature searching, using databases & the internet effectively, referencing & citation and avoiding plagiarism.

– www.librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/isr.html

Presenting a literature review

• •

Methods

Details on how the search was undertaken: search terms, search strategy, databases used, inclusion/exclusion criteria, how quality was assessed Justification of the methods used (e.g. reasons for including or excluding specific studies) and consideration of the limits associated with the approach (e.g. confounding, emphasis on hypothesis generation) • •

Results

Overview of the quantity and quality of the literature included Present the results in a systematic way, including critical appraisal and a synthesis of the evidence (not just a description of findings from each study) – it is about ‘making the whole into something more than its parts’ • •

Discussion / Conclusions

Demonstrate a clear understanding of the literature and discuss the implications of findings for future research/policy/practice Conclusions should be grounded in the evidence reviewed

• • • • • • •

Work with supplied datasets

Many students will make use of datasets collected/supplied by others (even if they are also collecting their own data) Some may be fully public domain – e.g. DHS data Other data may be supplied by LSHTM staff (e.g. your supervisor) or external parties (e.g. a contact at an NGO) It’s vital to ensure you get written permission from the owner to make use of any dataset that is not fully public domain Check the ethics implications of using such data – ethics approval originally granted may not cover your intentions Also get advance agreement on when and how the data will be supplied to you – particularly so you can start work in time, and work with security restrictions e.g. not being allowed to make a personal copy of electronic data Avoid using data that requires extensive cleaning!

Analysis work

•

Introduction

Give a brief description of the specific population, country or region, if applicable – for example, location maps may be helpful • • •

Methodology

Literature review, focusing on current knowledge and identifying any research gaps Description of statistical/modelling methods used (including software tools) Description of datasets (existing datasets or new data appropriate to a pilot study): sampling strategy, data collection methods, data analysis, representativeness, QA/QC, etc •

Results

Good description of quantitative results, including tables & figures (with appropriate labels) where graphs (scatter plots, histograms, pie charts, etc.) should be readable and any units clearly indicated

Supervisor input

• • • • Your supervisor should be able to provide feedback on one full draft of the report Make sure you get it to them in time for them to give feedback, and for you to update it based on this Even better, take a ‘write as you go’ approach to send them a series of draft sections as your work progresses Also make sure you are aware of when your supervisor may plan to be away (doing their own research, or even on holiday) during the summer

Submission deadlines 2012-13

• • • • The following final deadlines (all UK time/BST) apply: London-based PHP MScs: Mon 02 Sept 2013, 12 noon London-based EPH MScs: Tues 03 Sept 2013, 12 noon London-based ITD MScs: Weds 04 Sept 2013, 12 noon Distance learning MScs: Mon 30 Sept 2013, midnight Any extension (e.g. by a few days) or deferral (e.g to the following year) must be approved in advance by the relevant Faculty Taught Course Director. This will require supporting evidence, e.g. re. medical issues.

Key sections of the report

Structure of report

• • • • • • • • Title page, Contents, Abstract, Acknowledgements

Introduction Aims and objectives Materials and methods Results Discussion, conclusions and recommendations

Reference list Appendices

‘Introduction’ section of report

• • • • • Introduce the broad topic and its context e.g. disease, geographic setting, changing relevance, politics give definitions of key terms what is known to date, and what is not known? how has it been addressed (e.g. concepts, methods, policies and programmes)?

in which populations and settings?

• • • State the problem, e.g. gap in knowledge on the subject area an operational or analytical problem worth examining a contested issue for which there are different ‘solutions’

‘Aims & objectives’ section of report

• • • •

Aim

[preferable to just have one overall aim]

overall aim should be a clearly stated and answerable research question what aspect of the ‘problem’ will your project examine?

what contribution will this make? e.g. – ‘to determine’ – ‘to explore…’ – ‘to investigate’ – ‘to better understand…’ – ‘to review…’ – ‘to inform...’ Be careful not to over-reach in what you are trying to do – your own aim should be to get an MSc, not write a paper or a PhD!

Example aim

•

Overall aim of project:

To determine the relationship between dengue fever incidence in Malaysia with social and cultural variables using statistical and geographic information systems analysis

‘Aims & objectives’ section of report

• • • • •

Objectives

(what the project will do to meet aim) should emerge clearly from the background (what you know at this stage on the topic), and be in line with your overall aim state as research objectives, not methodological objectives typically have 3 to 5 main objectives supporting overall aim can break main objectives down into smaller sub-objectives

As you conduct the main project, you may find you need to adjust aims and objectives from those originally proposed (but be careful about ethics...)

Example objectives

• • • • •

Specific objectives of project:

To access incidence data on dengue fever from the Ministry of Health To develop a geo-referenced map with incidence of dengue per region in Kuala Lumpur To develop and conduct a questionnaire to determine social and cultural factors that may influence dengue incidence, including human dwellings, awareness/knowledge, mosquito protection patterns, sanitation, water collection and storage and waste disposal To assess spatial social risks related to dengue incidence To develop a model that can be used as a predictive tool to forecast the occurrence of dengue cases in metropolitan Kuala Lumpur for preparedness and control efforts

Distinguishing aims from objectives

• Which of the following is phrased as an aim and which as an objective?

–

To assess whether the rs17384213 DDAH1 GG genotype is associated with blood pressure in 5-year old children.

–

To establish whether genes associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in middle age cause high blood pressure in children.

‘Methods’ section of report

Methodology (how you sought to achieve objectives) - should suggest an appropriate and feasible study design given scope of topic, type of analysis and duration of study - methods should be consistent with, and appropriate for, addressing your objectives (or sub-objectives) - will vary depending on project type, e.g.: – for literature review: search terms, search strategy, exclusion criteria, databases used, etc – for interviews/questionnaires: sampling strategy, data collection methods, data analysis, etc – for monitoring data: sampling strategy, data collection methods and data analysis – for modelling: description of models and justification of tools used - make clear how you considered ethics issues

‘Results’ section of report

• • Results should have emerged from the methods described Format of results section will depend on type of project • - (review examples of past projects, available on Library website ) Results are the key evidence to inform discussion/conclusions • • • • Markers will be looking for: Overview of the quality and quantity of information / data Summary of findings from literature that shows a reasonable understanding of the topic Good description of qualitative / quantitative results Appropriate use of tables / figures

‘Discussion/conclusion/recommendations’ section(s) of report

• • • This should bring your findings together (often useful to summarise findings briefly at the start of this section) Give commentary on the value and applicability of findings – Review the strengths and weaknesses of your work – Link to original research question(s) – can you now give answers?

– – Integrate theory into your discussion Bring in (more?) literature for comparative purposes Make overall conclusions – Again, link conclusions to the original research questions – Give implications of your findings for research, policy, or other audiences/purposes – How realistic/feasible are your recommendations to implement?

Referencing

• You must give

clear and consistent citations

in a standard referencing style throughout your report • Full details of each cited work must then be spelt out in the

reference list

(bibliography) at the end • Further guidance is available in the Academic Writing handbook and separate presentation on referencing

Appendices to main report

• • Your appendices should always include: The final CARE form and any additional forms (all

anonymised!)

Other key documents e.g. participant information sheets, copies of questionnaires and interview schedules, etc.

• • • Appendices might also include: Table of studies reviewed, including nature of the population studied and quality of the study Datasets, including detailed quality assurance information (although this may not be appropriate if the dataset is large) Mathematical description of models, statistical techniques, etc

Project submission

• • • Full requirements given in Project Handbook, including: Recommended length 7,000 words, with an absolute maximum of 10,000 words - Word count covers from Introduction to Conclusions, and INCLUDES tables (as they should be in the text) - Word count does not include: Abstract, Acknowledgements, Reference list, and any Appendices London-based students must provide electronic plus 2 paper copies. Distance learning students can submit electronic-only

Project deadline

• Deadlines are set out in the project handbook • Make sure you meet the deadline – any projects submitted late will receive an automatic fail grade • Contact your Faculty Taught Course Director urgently and ahead of the deadline if you are having problems – only they can authorise an extension or deferral

How projects are assessed

Project marking criteria

Each MSc has specific marking criteria relating to each different type of project it allows But all MScs should mark in a manner consistent with the School’s grading scale

The marking of the project report counts for 30% of the overall MSc

Criteria for a project pass

• • • • General criteria for marking against the LSHTM grading scale: 5 (outstanding achievement, distinction level) – A comprehensive treatment showing in-depth critical understanding of the topic, giving wholly relevant information, with excellent critical evaluation going beyond conventional answers and bringing in further relevant ideas or material 4 (very good pass) – A comprehensive treatment showing in-depth critical understanding of the topic, with wholly relevant information and very good critical evaluation 3 (good pass) – A reasonably thorough treatment but which may omit some (less important) considerations, and/or have less extensive critical evaluation 2 (satisfactory pass) – A sufficiently relevant treatment but which omits potentially important considerations, and with limited critical evaluation and/or some errors of interpretation

Criteria for a project fail

• • • General criteria for marking against the LSHTM grading scale: 1 (borderline fail) – A flawed or superficial treatment which shows lack of understanding along with use of irrelevant points 0 (outright fail) – A deeply flawed or superficial treatment which shows serious lack of understanding, does not address crucial elements, and includes many irrelevant points 0 (not submitted) – projects not submitted by the deadline will be given a fail grade, unless an extension or deferral has previously been granted One re-sit attempt is allowed for failed projects – normally to be submitted for the following year’s deadline

Questions markers will ask… (1)

• • • • • • How clearly does the abstract represent the content and outcomes of the project?

How effectively does the introduction summarise context and relevant literature? How clearly and coherently are the aim and objectives stated?

How appropriately were investigative and analytical methods applied and explained?

How rationally were the findings interpreted?

Does the student demonstrate sufficient understanding of the limitations of the current project work and show insights into ideas for future research?

Questions markers will ask… (2)

• • • • • How clearly were conclusions, implications and recommendations made and discussed?

Have the aims and objectives been met?

How well has the student sought and identified relevant references (e.g. to position project within context of broader research), and cited these appropriately?

How competent and accurate was the presentation of the report overall, including structure and the use of tables / figures / illustrations?

How much independent and original thought was displayed throughout the project?

Common problems

• • • • • • • • • • • Poor report structure, inadequate headings/sub-headings Confusion between aim/objectives and methods Over-ambitious aim or too many objectives Very broadly described literature review methodology (or not enough articles in lit review), statistical methods lacking detail Not all objectives (sufficiently) addressed in results & discussion Inconsistent datasets, figures / tables without appropriate labels, units, etc Too general recommendations, not entirely justified by the results & discussion Limitations, strengths & weaknesses of methodology not discussed Data / information quality & quantity not discussed Inconsistent or mis-used referencing style Lack of proof-reading

What makes a good report?

• • • • • • • Well written and well structured throughout Abstract / Summary that briefly summares key points from the methods, results and conclusions Good choice of Headings and sub-Headings List of abbreviations at the beginning (a glossary in the appendices may be necessary if there are lots of technical terms) List of tables at the beginning Conventional use of referencing Any tables and charts well laid out and labelled

Any questions?