Module Title: Dissertation First Sit.

Mode of Assessment: Ethical Approval (10%)

Description: Please complete the SHUREC Application for Ethical Approval Form which is most relevant to your research plans, as follows:

SHUREC8A = Human participants (primary data collection)

SHUREC7 = No human participants (secondary data analysis, media analysis, critical literature review)

There are two parts to this assessment:

PART 1: Research Proposal

Complete the Research Proposal section of the ethics form, which includes the following elements;

• Central research question (CRQ) • Aim(s) and objectives • Context and rationale; explaining why your dissertation is important, by providing the theoretical, empirical and/ or policy context for your CRQ. • Methodology, including: o Research strategy o Research philosophy o Research design o Sampling o Data collection methods o Data analysis • Complete the Time Planning Schedule and attach this as an Appendix (not included in word count)

The SHUREC8A and SHUREC7 forms and the Time Planning Schedule can be found under the Assessment tab of the Blackboard site, in the Task 1: Ethical Approval folder. Only the elements in Part 1 (aside from the Time Planning Schedule) count towards the word count.

PART 2: Ethical Approval Complete the remainder of the ethics form to secure ethical approval for your proposed dissertation research. This part of the assessment does not contribute towards the word count. Where applicable, please attach your associated ethics documents (e.g. information sheet, consent form etc.). Failure to do so will not affect your mark, but will delay you receiving ethical approval. Please note: If a student begins their dissertation/research project without research ethics scrutiny having occurred and approval being in place, they will automatically be deemed to have failed the project. Collecting data without research ethics approval constitutes research misconduct.

Format: 1500 words, Word document a) All typed work should be in Arial 11 or Times New Roman font size 12. b) Please state the number of words used at the end of Section A in the designated space. c) Assignments in excess of the word limit may be penalized. d) All work used within the assignment should be appropriately referenced. e) Please use the APA Harvard Referencing System

Submission Arrangements for Coursework: Information about the assessment and how to submit this work will be found on the module Blackboard site behind the assessment tab. In the assessment tab you will find: • an assessment guidance document; • a screen cast from the Module Leader/team member outlining the key information for the assessment and the submission of your work; • the assessment paper and the refer/defer assessment paper; • the feedback and marking information; • the assessment submission point.
When you submit via the link on Blackboard you must include the following integrity statement: “By submitting this work, I certify that it is my own work and that the work of other people is duly referenced and acknowledged in accordance with the University’s Academic Misconduct Policy.” This statement should be included somewhere in your assessment. When finalizing your assessment you should make sure that it is in an approved file format (additional guidance is available on Blackboard), that it is not password protected and that you have followed the guidance on format and style. It is your responsibility to ensure that your work is successfully submitted. Always check your email receipt and the submission point again following each submission.

Assessment Criteria LEARNING OUTCOME (LO)- a statement of what a learner should know, do or understand

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA – a statement of which aspects of learner work will be judged, in relation to the LO
PASS LEVEL/ THRESHOLD a statement of the typical pass requirement, in relation to the LO
Identify, explain and locate research planning within a critical review of the literature.

The student work will be judged on: • the identification of relevant literature and a critical discussion.

For a typical pass, the student will: • critically review the relevant literature including a critical discussion of how the literature was identified and organized.
Devise and sustain a research question/s within the context of criminological debates and/or criminal justice practice.
• the discussion of chosen research questions with reference to disciplinary debates.
• create an appropriate focus for the research and show partial evaluation of how the chosen topic links and/or organizational practice with disciplinary debates and/or organizational practice
Identify, justify and use an appropriate strategy for specific research problems by critically evaluating a range of research strategies and methods and assessing the appropriateness of their use.

• the inclusion of a methodology discussion which critically engages with their chosen approach as well as that of other research
• a simplistic discussion of what they did and why.
Identify, justify and use methodological knowledge to create a framework for analysis.

• the identification and use of a framework for analysis.
• reference to some modes of analysis and analytic tools.