WHAT MAKES A GOOD
SUMMER PROJECT?
MSc Control of Infectious Diseases
Anna Foss and Michael Miles
Based on material and slides provided by:
Helen Hogan, Michael Miles, Doug Parkin, Rory Donnelly,
Cathy Zimmerman, Jane Falconer and Stuart Anderson
1
Why do a Project Report?
• To provide students with a crucial opportunity to
gain personal experience of real world issues and
problems with the control of infectious diseases
• To be able to conduct research projects overseas in
endemic areas, in developing or developed
countries
– However, some students may undertake their projects
in the UK, focusing on UK public health or analysing
literature or data sets generated through collaborative
research elsewhere
2
The specific objectives of the
Project Report are to:
• Describe the research project and the experience gained
• Demonstrate the ability to plan and organise time
• Demonstrate understanding of relevant literature and
summarise the context of the project in an introductory or
background section to the report
• Demonstrate the ability to understand and apply an
appropriate range and selection of investigative and
analytical methods
• Demonstrate the ability to interpret rationally
observations and data, while being aware of the
limitations of the project
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And to:
• Demonstrate the ability to critically discuss and
evaluate the outputs and applications of the research
project in the context of previous relevant work, and to
state clear conclusions and recommendations for future
research
• Demonstrate independent and original thinking
• Where appropriate, reflect on social or ethical issues
relating to the research
• Demonstrate competent communication /
presentational skills through the write-up a coherent
and professional report, including accurate and
systematic reference citations and accompanying
bibliography
4
Project: Process and Product
• The process
– doing the work:
• a literature review
• study design/research
proposal
• data collection /
analysis etc
• The product (content
that will be marked)
– communicating the
results:
• project report
(In an academic
professional format, as
defined by the School
and for CID MSc)
5
Independent learning
• Complex learning is messy, uncertain and
ambiguous...
The independent learner –
• Can live with this
• Enjoy this
• Manage their reactions / show resilience
• Arrive at results...
• But know that the results are not fixed...
• And that further questions arise from every ‘apparent’
answer
Project Report
Skills and Assessment
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Project Report:
Student skills and assessment task
Assessment Task
Student Skills
Background, literature and theory
elements
Critical Thinking
Data* collection and findings sections
Independent research skills
Data* analysis and conclusion sections
Ability to analyse data and draw
conclusions
The entire written report
Clear coherent writing
Style, presentation and referencing
Familiarity with written conventions
* data may be either qualitative or quantitative
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Questions to guide markers (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?
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Questions to guide markers (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?
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Project Report assessment
criteria: pass
Marking is based on the following guidelines:
• 5 (outstanding achievement, distinction level) - A
comprehensive discussion of the topic giving all relevant information,
showing in-depth critical understanding of the topic, going beyond
conventional answers, and bringing in additional relevant ideas or
material
• 4 (very good pass) - A full discussion of the topic, including all
relevant information and critical evaluation
• 3 (good pass) - The major points are discussed, but relevant,
though less important considerations, are omitted
• 2 (satisfactory pass) - Sufficient relevant information is included
but not all major points are discussed, and there may be some errors
of interpretation
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Project Report assessment
criteria: fail
• 1 (borderline fail) - A few points are included, but lack
of understanding is shown together with use of irrelevant
points
• 0 (outright fail OR not submitted) - None of the
major points present; many irrelevant points included
and a serious lack of understanding, OR Not submitted
NB The marking of the project report counts for 30% of
the overall MSc
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Project Approval Process:
Key milestones and deadlines
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CARE form
• CARE form: The Combined Academic, Risk assessment
and Ethics approval form
• Intended as a way to comprehensively summarise the
work you intend to do in your project, so that staff have
sufficient information to give approval
• It will also prompt you on a number of key points you
need to think about
• http://intra.lshtm.ac.uk/tpd/taughtcourses/studentforms/in
dex.html
• Form and Project Handbook on Blackboard under CID.
14
The CARE form consists of 5 sections:
• Section 1 – Student and course information
• Section 2 – Approval and submission status
• Section 3 – Application for academic approval
• Section 4 - Application for Risk assessment
approval
• Section 5 – Application for Ethics Approval
Key milestones and deadlines
(Jan – April)
• End of Feb: decision about the likely project title and
supervisor – see project topics list
• Draft project outline / proposal / protocol
• End of March: submission of draft CARE form and more
detailed protocol (including budget) to supervisor
• Ensure support from tutor / LSHTM staff member and an
established means of regular contact, and adequate
local support overseas
• Travel preparations e.g. passport, visas, vaccinations,
prophylactic medicines, insurance, flights, Trust Fund
• End of April: submission of final CARE form, approved
by supervisor and Course Director (and Safety signature
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if required), to TSO (and to MScEthics if required)
Key milestones and deadlines
(May – Sept)
• May/June: Further develop project protocol, especially
Background section (literature review), proposed Methods,
conceptual framework, plan for presentation of Results,
structure of whole report, timetable, logistics, budget
• July/August: Conduct project, write-up Results and
Discussion sections, obtain supervisor feedback (e.g. on
draft of complete report), and revise report with feedback
• DEADLINE for final report is12 noon on Friday 03
September 2010
• Any extension to this deadline has to be approved in
advance by the Taught Course Director, Graham Clark (ITD)
/ Hannah Babad (PHP), and will require supporting evidence
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of medical issues etc
Project Report Content
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Project Report Content:
Introduction
Statement of the problem
-
Introduce the broad topic and its context
-
-
State the problem
-
-
e.g. disease, geographic setting, ‘historical’ or
current relevance
e.g. gap in knowledge on the subject area, an
operational or an analytical ‘problem’ that deserves
examination, a contested or debated issue for which
there are different ‘solutions’
Justify the need for the project
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Project Report Content:
Background
- What is known to date about the topic?
- How has it been addressed?
- e.g. conceptually, methodologically, politically/
policy, programmatically…
- In which populations and settings?
- What is not known?
- Definition of terms
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Project Report Content:
Aim and objectives
Aim
• What aspect of the ‘problem’ will your project examine?
• What is the overall contribution of the project? (e.g. to
better understand…., to explore…., to review…., to
inform) Note: please keep this modest !
• The overall aim which should be a clearly stated and
answerable research question
Objectives (what will the project do to meet aim)
- Should emerge clearly from the background (what you
know at this stage on the topic)
- Should be in line with your overall aim
- Should be stated as research objectives, not
methodological objectives
- Main objectives can be broken down into smaller subobjectives
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Project Report Content:
Methods
Methodology (How will I fulfill my 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) and should
include:
– For the 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
- Ethical considerations
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Project Report Content:
Results
• The form will depend on the type of project
• Look up past example of projects in library
• Results should have emerged from the methods
described
• 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
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Project Report Content:
Discussion and Conclusions
• In this you bring together your findings; often
useful to summarise them briefly at the start of
this section
• Commentary on their value and applicability
– Review the strengths and weaknesses of your work
– Relate back to the original research questions - can
you answer them?
– Integration of theory into discussion
– Bring in (more?) literature for comparative purposes
• Make overall conclusions
– Again, in relation to the original research questions
– Implications and realistic / feasible recommendations
of results for infectious disease research / policy /
other audiences
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Project Report Content:
Appendices
This should include:
• The final CARE form and any addition forms (all anonymised!)
The following information may also be included in separate
appendices:
• Table of studies reviewed including nature of the population
studied and quality of the study
• Copies of questionnaires / interview schedules.
• Datasets, including detailed quality assurance information.
(This may not be appropriate if the data set is large).
• Mathematical description of models, statistical techniques, etc
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Examples and further
guidance resources
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Example of aim
Overall aim:
• To determine the relationship between
dengue fever incidence in Malaysia with
social and cultural variables using
statistical and geographic information
systems analysis
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Example of objectives
Specific objectives:
• 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
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Searching and reviewing the literature,
and good academic writing
Library help pages on planning and conducting a literature
search, and citing and referencing systems:
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/library/help.html
A tutorial on critical appraisal and using the literature:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/ir/units/critapp/index.htm
Resources and advice on good academic writing practice:
• http://resources.bmj.com/bmj/authors/bmj-house-style from the British Medical Journal – ‘gold standard’
• http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3359 –
from the Open University - a comprehensive set of online
tutorials about planning, structuring and writing academic
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assignments or reports.
What makes a good report?
Overall
• Well written and well structured throughout
• Abstract / Summary briefly summarizing 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
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What makes a good literature review?
(in addition to previous general points)
Methods
• Include detail 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 the findings for future research and policy / practice
• Conclusions should be grounded in the evidence reviewed
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What makes a good research project?
(in addition to previous general points)
Introduction
• Give a brief description of the specific population, country or region,
if applicable, e.g. 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
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Common problems
• Poor report structure, inadequate headings/sub-headings
• Confusion between aim / objectives and methods
• Overambitious aim / 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
• Referencing style
• Lack of proofreading
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Further information about the Project Report
• Recommended length 7000 words, with an absolute maximum of
10,000 words
• Electronic and 2 paper copies
• Further information in Project Handbook:
– Page 9-10 describes what you can expect from your supervisor
– Page 15-17 gives guidance on developing your protocol
– Page 52-55 details how to reference appropriately and avoid
plagiarism (see also quiz: www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/plagiarism)
– Page 46, and 57-61 contains key information about required
format for project report and how to submit final report
– Page 65-77 is CID-specific Part 2, including examples of more
detailed project protocols to supplement CARE form section 3
– Pages 12-44 for detailed guidance on how to complete CARE
form
• See past examples of projects in library achieving pass grade or
above:
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http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/library/mscprojects.html