REGULATIONS FOR LITERATURE STUDY
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH MASTER
2013-2014
Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................... 2
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................... 4
2.1 LENGTH OF THE LITERATURE STUDY AND CREDITS..................................................................................... 4
2.2 CONTENTS OF THE LITERATURE STUDY ................................................................................................... 4
2.3 SUPERVISION AND GUIDANCE ............................................................................................................... 4
2.4 FINAL QUALIFICATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER 3 COURSE OF EVENTS .................................................................................................... 6
3.1 THE FOLLOWING STEPS NEED TO BE TAKEN BEFORE AND DURING THE LITERATURE STUDY ............................... 6
3.2 BEFORE START OF THE LITERATURE STUDY .............................................................................................. 6
3.2 DURING THE LITERATURE STUDY ........................................................................................................... 7
3.4 ASSESSMENT OF LITERATURE STUDY ...................................................................................................... 7
3.4.2. ORAL PRESENTATION ...................................................................................................................... 7
3.4.3. REPORT ........................................................................................................................................ 7
3.5 AFTER THE LITERATURE STUDY .............................................................................................................. 7
FORMS FOR LITERATURE STUDY
LI
APPROVAL FORM...................................................................................................8
LII
ASSESMENT FORM.................................................................................................9
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
Contact information
Dr. E.Kanters
Institute for Education and Training
VU University Medical Center
Van der Boechorststraat 7, room D-239
1007 MB AMSTERDAM
+31 20 44 45895
+ 31 20 44 48427
cvrmaster@vumc.nl
www.med.vu.nl
Postal address:
VU University Medical Center
Institute for Education and Training, MF / A-114
P.O. Box 7057
1007 MB AMSTERDAM
The Netherlands
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
The student literature study is an important part of the Master’s programme and involves many different aspects, such as, theoretical preparation, literature survey, report writing, oral presentation,
and participation in the scientific activities of a research department. The regulations outlined below
describe, in chronological order, the process of completing the student literature study from the
beginning (the admission) through the actual execution with its supervision to the final stage (assessment and grading). The various stages of the process will be supported by forms provided at the
end of these regulations or can be downloaded from www.med.vu.nl.
CHAPTER 2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION
2.1 LENGTH OF THE LITERATURE STUDY AND CREDITS
The Master’s programme in cardiovascular research contains one literature study. It is the student’s
own responsibility to find a suitable supervisor. The literature study is rewarded with 9 ECTS and has
to be a survey on a subject directly related to cardiovascular research. Preferably, a study of literature is written in the format of a scientific review article, and at the discretion of the supervisor may
be submitted as such to a scientific journal. The study of literature has to be written in English and
includes an oral presentation.
The literature study has to be performed after the first year of the programme and takes, in general,
6 weeks to complete. The report and presentation has to be completed within 6 months after approval of the literature study. If this requirement is not met, the whole literature study needs to be
redone.
The literature study can be performed at any renowned institutenational or international, provided
that it is approved by the examination board of the Cardiovascular research master. In case of an
external literature study a VUmc/VU assessor has to be appointed and a letter or e-mail of commitment from the external supervisor is also required.
2.2 CONTENTS OF THE LITERATURE STUDY
The aimof the literature study is to teach the student to extract the main message out of a large
number of publications and acquire an overview of the current knowledge of a certain research topic. A student is expected to learn to define a study question, read relevant literature and make a
timely survey of the literature including critical discussion of the publications. The research topic of
the literature study should be Cardiovascular. In addition, the student has to present and discuss
his/her findings in an oral presentation. Duo literature studies are not allowed.
2.3 SUPERVISION AND GUIDANCE
Several forms of guidance during the literature study can be distinguished: assessor, VUmc/VU assessor, independent assessor and examiner.
Assessor
The responsible assessorof the literature study, should be a PhD at the level of assistant professor
appointed by the examination board. The topic of the literature study has to be discussed with the
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
student and within 2 weeks after approval the student needs to hand in a survey outline to the supervisor. This will facilitate the writing in a good structured way.
Vumc/VU assessor
Only for external literature studies a VUmc/VU assessor is asked to be “stand by” for questions from
the student and the supervisor/assessor. This VUmc/VU assessor can be invited by the student but
has to be assigned by the examination board and has to work at least at the level of assistant professor (UD). The VUmc/VU assessor will check the validity of the assessment done at the host institute
and determines the grade after consultation with the assessor.
Independent assessor
The written report needs to be assessed by an independent assessor. This person is assigned by the
examination board and has to work at least at the level of assistant professor (UD). He/she will critically review the report and give a mark based on the report. When the mark is less than 1.0 different
between the independent assessor and the assessor, the mark for the report will be the average of
the two assessors. However, when this difference is larger than 1.0 the report will be presented to
the examination board, who will decide which steps should be taken.
Examiner
The examiner is responsible for following the correct procedures with regard to the grading process
and quality of the literature study.
2.4 FINAL QUALIFICATIONS
During the literature study of the Master’s programme in cardiovascular research the student should
have the opportunity to acquire several skills that are essential for the optimal preparation of the
student for a position as PhD student in cardiovascular research, which is the aim of the Master programme in cardiovascular research. The following end terms are essential and for completion of the
literature study. The student:
 Has insight in the position of cardiovascular research within medicine, biomedical and natural
sciences and has insight in the (sub)disciplines, relevant to cardiovascular research. (3)
 Has insight in the scientific and social relevance of cardiovascular diseases. (4)
 Is proficient in the use of computer software relevant to cardiovascular research. (6)
 Can combine knowledge from multiple disciplines and apply it to translational medicine. (7)
 Can apply medical and scientific knowledge to questions of societal relevance. (10)
 Can integrate societal and ethical aspects of research, or the application thereof, in decision
making. (13)
 Can collaborate and communicate with researchers from the same and other disciplines. (14)
 Can present research in English, both orally and in writing. (15)
 Can contribute conceptually to planning, discussion of scientific data and scientific debate.
(16)
 Can acquire general medical information, as well as cardiovascular information, and is able to
critically analyse and evaluate this information. (17)
 Can reflect on knowledge and skills acquired. (18)
 Can formulate personal study aims, independently and in collaboration with others. (19)
 Can independently acquire novel knowledge and skills, is aware of the benefits of life-long
education and is able to put this in practice. (20)
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc

CHAPTER 3 COURSE OF EVENTS
3.1 THE FOLLOWING STEPS NEED TO BE TAKEN BEFORE AND DURING
THE LITERATURE STUDY
1. Month before
start
STUDENT
ASSESSOR
Apply for approval by sending the
signed form for approval (LI) to
the coordinator of the Cardiovascular Research Master.
Fill out and sign the application form (LI) for
approval.
2. 2 weeks
Send in the survey outline to the
coordinator of the Cardiovascular
Research Master.
2. Before second
half
Adjust the literature study according to the supervisor’s comments.
Evaluate the progression of the student
and discuss possible adjustments of the
study accordingly. This should be done at
least once during the writing procedure.
3. End of the
placement
The report and presentation
should be completed within 6
months after starting the literature study.
Fill out the assessment form (LII) for both
the report and the presentation. Send this
and the signed credit registration to the
coordinator of the Cardiovascular Research
Master.
4. After completion
of the placement
Make a PDF-file and 4 hardcopy
prints of the report. Send 2 printed copies and the PDF-file to the
coordinator of the Cardiovascular
Research Master.
-
3.2 BEFORE START OF THE LITERATURE STUDY
Before starting with the literature study, a student has to ask approval of the examination board of
the Cardiovascular Research Master via a "form for approval of a literature study”. This form (LI)
should be signed by the supervisor, who is also the assessor (PhD at assistant professor level). Hand
in your forms well in advance of the monthly examination board meeting (for exact dates see faculty
website) to obtain approval in time. Literature study can only be started after approval of the examination board.
The starting date of the literature study is set by the approval form and needs to be completed within 6 months.
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
3.2 DURING THE LITERATURE STUDY
At least once during the writing procedure there has to be a progression consult of the supervisor
with the student. When the supervisor has indications that the survey may be insufficient, the student in agreement with the supervisor should set learning goals for improvement. A report of this
reflection report needs to be signed by both and hand in at the coordinator of the Master.
3.4 ASSESSMENT OF LITERATURE STUDY
The detailed assessment form (LII) and the credits registration form have to be filled in including the
final mark. These forms have to be signed and sent to the coordinator of the Cardiovascular Research
Master. For each part a partial mark will be given. The final mark is calculated, using the norm 75 and
25% for the final report and oral presentation respectively. The final assessment will be executed in
the presence of the examiner and the student. The final mark will be made official after the independent assessment of the report by examiner 2 is obtained.
Oral presentation
An oral presentation concerning the literature study will be given to the research group of the department. Emphasis has to be given on the capability of the student to answer questions and discuss
the topic. The mark for this subject comprises 25% of the final mark.
Report
A report of literature study will have the format of a scientific review, common in the field of research. The report will be written in English and should be at least 5000 words.
Agreements have to be made concerning criticism and the time line regarding the judging of the report. The supervisor/assessor will receive a concept report, and he/she should give it back to the
student complete with written critics within one week, which will be discussed with the student. The
concept report can only be corrected twice, before the final report is handed in. After approval of the
assessor, the student sends two final copies of the report to the coordinator of the Cardiovascular
Research Master and gives one copy to the supervisor/assessor. The report has to be finished within
6 months after the official starting date of the literature study. Since the report is the most important
facet of the end terms that need to be acquired during this part of the Cardiovascular Research Master programme, the mark will comprise 75% of the final mark. The final mark for the placement will
not be registered when the student fails to submit two copies of the written report to the coordinator of the Cardiovascular Research Master.
The coordinator of the Cardiovascular Research Master will send the report to an independent assessor, appointed by the examination board. When the mark is less than 1.0 different between the two
assessors, the average of the two marks will be registered. However, when this difference is larger
than 1.0 the report will be presented to the examination board, who will decide how to proceed.
When the mark is insufficient (<5.5) in any of the two components (report, presentation) of the literature study, this specific component that has failed should be redone. Pending that the component
has been passed, this mark will be listed as the final mark. The first repeat has to be finished within 3
months and a maximum of 2 repeats is allowed, else the whole literature study needs to be redone.
3.5 AFTER THE LITERATURE STUDY
For the files of the Cardiovascular Research Master that are used to evaluate the quality of the supervisors of literature studies and internships, the student has to fill in an internship and literature
study assessment form.
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
LI FORM FOR APPROVAL OF A LITERATURE STUDY
Student information
Name
Address
Code / City
Telephone
Email address
Student registration number
Year of enrollment in Master’s Programme in
cardiovascular research
Information about the literature study
Title and/ or short description
Institution
Department
Start date
Planned end date
Information aboutsupervision
Name assessor
Function
Telephone
Email address
Signature supervisor
Date:
STUDENTS AGREEMENT
Within 2 weeks after the approval of the literature study I will send a survey outline to the study coordinator of the Master Cardiovascular Research. The literature study will need to be completed (including final report and presentation) within 6 months after the approval of the board of examination.
Date:
Signature student
APPROVAL BY THE BOARD OF EXAMINATION
Date of presentation
Date of approval
Signature on behalf of the chairman board of exby student
aminers
DO NOT FILL IN BY HAND AS WE WILL NOT PROCESS HANDWRITTEN FORMS!
Please return the form, completed and signed to postal address: Cardiovascular research master p/a SSC, MF-A114 or via email CVRmaster@vumc.nl
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
LII ASSESSMENT FORM FOR LITERATURE STUDY
Name student: ................................................. stud.nr. ........................................ year of introd. .........................
Address ........................................................... place ............................................ phone. ....................................
Department: ..........................................Supervisor ............................................. phone. ....................................
Assessor ................................................. phone ...................................
Assessment of the report
Insufficient
Sufficient
Good
Excellent
(<5.5)
(5.5 – 6.5)
(7.0 – 8.0)
(8.5 – 10)
not applicable
Processing of literature
Is the current literature on the topic well represented and does the student place his/her own results in the light of
the recent findings of others?
Processing of results
How well are the findings/overview of the field summarized.
Overall concept of
the report
Are the headlines and the details separated well. Is the report balanced in structure. Does the lay-out appear well
taken care of. Does it reflect the placement?
Abstract/summary
Is the abstract concise including the aim of the project, the relevant findings and important conclusions?
Introduction
Does it reflect the background of the project including the aim. Is it not too long with too many details?
Conclusions
Do the conclusions reflect the content of the report.
Discussion
Are the essentials and inessentials correctly separated and are the findings discussed in the context of the current
literature. Are the future perspectives discussed.
Partial (75%) mark*:
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Regulations for literature study Cardiovascular Research Master VUmc
Assessment of presentation
Insufficient
Sufficient
Good
Excellent
(<5.5)
(5.5 – 6.5)
(7.0 – 8.0)
(8.5 – 10)
not applicable
Clear slides
Not too much text per slide, nice figures and good structure/order of the slides.
Use of other media
Is the appropriate media used for explanation?
Planning / duration
Is the presentation balanced and finished within the agreed time period?
Overall story
The overall story is clear and well presented.
Conclusions
Conclusions reflect the project.
Discussion
Student is capable to answer questions and discuss the results.
Partial (25%) mark: ..................
Signature assessor
Date:
Final mark:
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