Module Template
Thank you for contributing to Trainees Online (http://tron.rcpsych.ac.uk).
This document is a template to use as you write your module. The stages
of producing the module are:
 You complete your first draft using this document and send it in. You
should have met or spoken with a Content Editor.
 This document will be sent by us to the expert reviewer to assess
your module.
 We will send you the expert reviewer’s feedback and comments from
our Trainee Editor.
 You then send this document in again as a second draft with your
changes so that it can be used by the Content Editors to produce the
online module.
Please submit your draft module to Trainees Online Editorial Assistant,
Victoria Walker: victoria.walker@rcpsych.ac.uk
If you would like to speak to someone about the content of your module,
please contact Trainees Online Content Editors, Emma Leishman:
emma.leishman@rcpsych.ac.uk or Mark Turner:
mark.turner@rcpsych.ac.uk
Module Title:
Author(s):
Date:
Total Word Count:
[Modules are usually approximately 6,000 words although some
topics will be longer, some shorter]
Trainees Online Module Template
Some pointers before you start writing:
 Take a look at the current modules on the Trainees Online website.
 Refer to the MRCPsych syllabus. You are expected to cover all the
points that are relevant to your module topic.
 Make your pages easy to read: keep sentences and paragraphs short
and concise.
 Please write in full sentences to make your meaning clear.
 Please use British not American spellings, and make sure your
spelling is consistent.
 Keep learners engaged with questions.
Images and figures
 Help your readers understand your content by using diagrams,
images etc. The Content Editors can help you with this material so
you don’t need to draw anything complicated yourself; if you can
provide a rough drawing this can be redrawn for you.
 If you can source diagrams, images and figures to illustrate your
material, please note the source as precisely as possible, ensuring
that links to online content are still working, so that we can provide
appropriate acknowledgement. We may need to seek copyright
permission (see below).
Case-studies
 Help your reader understand by relating the information to real life
examples – use case-studies and vignettes (these should be
fictitious, where possible or patient consent will need to be granted).
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Copyright information
 Please include the full details of any content you want to include in
your module which we would need to obtain permission to use.
 When we request permissions, we need to provide very specific
information to the copyright owners so it will save time if you can give
us this information in your first draft.
 It might not be possible to include all copyrighted material and we
may ask you to source alternative images.
 Please note that tables also require copyright permission.
Interactive content
 The Content Editors can create interactive content for your module.
For examples of the type of content we can produce please look at
published modules. Interactive exercises include: drag and drop
quizzes, and click and reveal activities. This content will not be
developed until after you have submitted your second draft but if you
have suggestions then do include them in your first draft.
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Example of a drag and drop activity:
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Example of a click and reveal activity:
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References
[Most authors use between 10 and 25 references. Please ensure that
all data/supportive material used is adequately cited and referenced.]
Cite your references in your text in the following ways:
1) ‘as has been described by Smith & Brown (1978)’
2) ‘He showed that children, at different ages, think differently, and
concluded that children were not just less knowledgeable than adults,
but how they thought was qualitatively different (Piaget, 1982)’.
3) Seligman & Maier (1967) carried out an experiment with dogs in
which he showed that they developed what he called ‘learned
helplessness’.
4) If there are more than 2 authors, write the first author surname et al
(date). E.g. Smith et al (2013).
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Key Reading
The key reading you select to go with your module is very important.
It will ensure that trainees can develop a full understanding of the topic to
aid their preparation for the exams. Key reading also covers Trainees
Online for instances where questions come up in the exams that have not
been addressed directly by your content.
The key reading is introduced to your readers online with the following text:
The information contained in the texts below in combination with the
Trainees Online module will assist you with your revision for the
Royal College of Psychiatrist’s examination.
Choose one to three items of key reading, which must be precisely
referenced – by pages: e.g. Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry 2007 Chapter 7
Sections 1.1-7.6
1.
2.
3.
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Learning objectives
What are the key points that you want your readers to learn from your
module?
The key learning objectives will go on the homepage of the module in a
series of bullet points. Please refer to the link below for guidance on how to
draw up learning objectives:
http://tep.uoregon.edu/resources/assessment/learningobjectives.
html
Note: All objectives must be measurable. For example, use the following
words for the start of each objective: ‘describe’, ‘outline’, ‘explain’, ‘outline’,
‘state’, ‘demonstrate’ etc. Try to avoid ‘understand,’ which is too vague.
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Author details
Your name:
Your qualifications/credentials:
Your current post/employer/location:
Your career history, psychiatric specialties/interests/research
[Please write in the first person]
Example:
Prior to undertaking graduate entry medicine at the University of Leicester,
I studied for a BSc in psychology at the University of Durham.I am currently
a ST4, working in Leicester, alongside working part-time as an education
fellow for Health Education East Midlands. As part of this I am currently
working towards a Masters in medical education.
Your email [the one that you want to appear with your module]:
Please also provide an alternative email address [this will not appear
on the module; we will only use it for correspondence]:
Declaration of interests: YES/NO
Please also send a high quality photo (jpeg format), portrait layout and
at a large size, we can resize this and crop it for you.
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Section 1Introduction
[E.g. In this section, we will look at...]
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Section 1 Page 1
[Please copy and paste this page to add more pages to your section.]
Page heading:
Content:
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Section 1 Recap quiz
End each section with a short quiz of 3 - 5 questions. Questions should be
based on the content in the module.
You can have multiple choice questions, or EMI questions – as in the
examinations.
Insert your questions following these instructions:
 place your answers in ALPHABETICAL (or numerical) order
 ensure only ONE answer is the true and correct answer.
 for multiple choice questions have 5 possible answers
 you should provide some explanation text for the incorrect answers
for the reader to see when they review their answers.
Example of a MCQ with explanations:
Question 1. Regarding the nomothetic approach:
a) It suggests that traits can be generalised to describe the
majority of people
b) It focuses on the individual.
c) It proposes that the ‘norms’ that define a personality are set
by society.
d) It groups all traits into 16 factors
e) Rogers used a nomothetic approach.
Answer
a) Correct.
b) Incorrect. It measures traits and dimensions thought to be
common to many individuals.
c) Incorrect. In nomothetic theory an individual’s behaviour is
seen to be the outcome of a stable ‘recipe’ of traits or
dimensions that are universally acquired but which vary in
degree between different individuals
d) Incorrect. This grouping refers to Cattell’s 16PF
questionnaire.
e) Incorrect. He was one of the founders of the humanistic
approach.
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Example of EMI question:
Theme: Personality disorder – diagnoses:
Options:
A. Anankastic personality disorder
B. Anxious personality disorder
C. Dependent personality disorder
D. Dissocial personality disorder
E. Emotionally unstable personality disorder borderline type
F. Emotionally unstable personality disorder impulsive type
G. Histrionic personality disorder
H. Narcissistic personality disorder
I. Paranoid personality disorder
J. Schizoid personality disorder
Lead in: For the clinical vignette below pick the ONE most appropriate
differential diagnosis from the option list. Each option might be used once,
more than once, or not at all.
You are asked to see a graduate who is having difficulty coping with his job
as an administrative officer. He arrives for his appointment half an hour
early because he wanted to make sure he was not late. He reports that he
is finding his job very stressful. He has worked out a routine of how the mail
needs to be managed and drawn up a flow chart to make sure everything
runs as smoothly as possible but other members of staff are not following
the flow chart. Choose ONE option. A
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Section 1 Summary
[E.g. In this section we covered…]
[Note: Please write all key points in full sentences as these will be
used to create the Take-Home Notes for each module.]
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Section 2 Introduction
[E.g. In this section, we will look at...]
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Section 2 Page 1
[Please copy and paste this page to add more pages to your section.]
Page heading:
Content:
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Section 2 Recap quiz
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Section 2 Summary
[E.g. In this section we covered…]
[Note: Please write all key points in full sentences as these will be
used to create the Take Home Notes for each module.]
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Section 3 Introduction
[E.g. In this section, we will look at...]
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Section 3 Page 1
[Please copy and paste this page to add more pages to your section.]
Page heading:
Content:
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Section 3 Recap quiz
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Section 3 Summary
[E.g. In this section we covered…]
[Note: Please write all key points in full sentences as these will be
used to create the Take Home Notes for each module.]
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Section 4 Introduction
[E.g. In this section, we will look at ...]
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Section 4 Page 1
[Please copy and paste this page to add more pages to your section.]
Page heading:
Content:
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Section 4 Recap quiz
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Section 4 Summary
[E.g. In this section we covered…]
[Note: Please write all key points in full sentences as these will be
used to create the Take Home Notes for each module.]
Further Sections
If you need to add more sections to your module then copy and paste the
section above.
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Module Summary
[A list of key points covered in your module, reinforcing the
messages you wish learners to ‘take-home’. Please write these points
in full sentences.]
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Reference page
[Most authors use between 10 and 25 references. Please
ensure that all data/supportive material used is adequately
cited and referenced.]
 List references in alphabetical order.
 Give journal titles in full.
 Note: you can reference online sources but the Trainees Online
modules do not reference Wikipedia pages.
Use the following style for setting out your references:
McGarry L, Chodoff P (1981) The ethics of involuntary hospitalization. In
Psychiatric Ethics (eds Bloch S, Chodoff P), pp. 203–219. Oxford
University Press.
Journal reference:
Watson JB, Rayner R (1920) Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of
experimental psychology, 3: 1–14.
•
Aim to keep references as up-to-date as possible.
For up to 4 authors, write all the names as usual.
For more than 4 authors, write the first 3, comma, et al (date). E.g. Smith A,
Blake T, Williams B, et al (2013).
McGarry, L. & Chodoff, P. (1981) The ethics of involuntary hospitalization.
In Psychiatric Ethics (eds S. Bloch & P. Chodoff), pp. 203–219. Oxford
University Press.
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Further reading [if relevant]
Useful websites [if relevant]
Acknowledgements [if applicable]
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Checklist
Before you submit your draft have you completed the following?
Please note: If any of these items are missing your draft may be returned
to you prior to expert review.
Essential:
Copyright information – have you included all relevant information
for any graphs/images/text/content?
Cite original source - have you cited all material in the body of the
module to the relevant reference?
References - have you included them all?
Key reading – has this been included with page numbers?
Author image and bio – have you sent a photo?
Learning objectives – have these been included?
Section introduction pages – does each section have one?
Summary key points – are these in full sentences?
Recaps – have you included recap quizzes for all sections? Have you
included explanations for any incorrect answers?
MRCPsych syllabus – have you covered all the relevant points in the
MRCPsych syllabus?
Preferred:
Advances and/or BJPsych – have you included recommendations
for journal articles?
Module end material – don’t forget any acknowledgements, useful
websites or further reading
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