ASSIGNMENT
Through your own reading and independent study, you will likely have seen a number of ‘dissertation templates’, which provide a general standard for presentation and structure – an example of this has been provided below. You can use the below points as a study-content guide. This is the general outline for completing a systematic review. While some of these may not be presented (again based on the chosen journals author guidance) for component 1, these can be used to organise your own independent study, and the creation of the poster (component 2).
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General Guide independent study for Systematic Review, and poster content. – Introduction
– Aims / focused question – Methods
o Study methodology
o Review criteria
o Search strategy
o Selection of studies
o Assessment of Quality o Data Extraction
o Data analysis methods – Results
– Discussion
Top tip: Find a published systematic review in the journal you have identified and use this as a template for the completion of your own work. The topic of the journal/template does not matter; use the structure (not the content) of this to map out your own journal article. See below for more guidance on this.
Below is a list of the content that will be delivered, provided through Blackboard, and where you will need to actively, and independently source support:
1. Find several published systematic reviews to use – these are excellent examples/templates of exactly what is expected for component 1.
a. Choose 1 (or more) of the, roughly, 28,800 published paramedic systematic reviews to use as a template (search Google Scholar).
2. Look at the “Author Guidance” from the journal you have chosen – this outlines the specific structure for the systematic review.
a. Search and find a systematic review published in that journal you have chosen, to use a template.
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3. Use the detailed, universal checklist template for all systematic review types (the PRISMA checklist).
4. Find one of the many published systematic review protocols (these are published plans how to complete a systematic review).
5. Through the taught sessions we will provide a ‘live’ breakdown of a published systematic review – take notes!
6. A general structure is provided in the Module Guide – this is a rough outline.
7. A key lecture and video introducing all the above, where questions are asked and answered will be provided at the end of the module.
But…what about the Research Methods?
There is no escaping the research methods-bits. It is important to remember when completing your dissertation that you will need to know why you have chosen the processes / methods that you have. You’ll notice that this information is not traditionally reported in a published journal article – but you must still know it – and, importantly, you will be questioned about these processes for the poster-viva (see component 2).
