MRes Dissertation Module

Overview

This module gives you the opportunity to carry out an independent research project that advances knowledge in the field of health. You will design and conduct your study using advanced research methods, and present your findings in the form of a dissertation.

Following an initial seminar to help you develop your research ideas, you will be supported by an expert supervisor, with regular meetings and feedback on drafts.

By the end of the module, you will have produced a substantial piece of independent research, gaining valuable experience in designing, conducting, and communicating health-related research.

Key Facts

Contact: Melissa Moyle

Module Lead: Professor Frances Griffiths

Duration: 46 weeks

Credits: 120

Module Code: MS933

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Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

Develop an appropriate research proposal and protocol that complies with ethical principles and addresses a research question within health and care sciences
Demonstrate self-direction and originality in the critical evaluation and synthesis of research evidence relevant to the chosen research topic
Produce and communicate an extended critical appraisal of the current literature, using appropriate quality assessment processes, to evaluate the limitations of research evidence and justify the need for the proposed research
Demonstrate advanced skills in planning, information gathering and data interpretation and synthesis for research enquiry
Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of different research methodologies and how these might be applied to health and care related research
Have the knowledge and skills to independently design, plan, conduct, and complete a significant piece of research
Have the knowledge and skills to independently complete a significant piece of academic writing
Advance health-related knowledge through an original piece of research
Deploy advanced research methodology within an original piece of research

Assessment

You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A

	Weighting	Study time	Eligible for self-certification
Dissertation and viva voce examination	100%	220 hours	No
The assessment is a dissertation allowing the student space to write in depth on their research topic, advanced methodology and research findings and so demonstrate the depth and specialism of research expertise gained during the period of study. The dissertation will report background to the research, justification including systematic review/synthesis of existing evidence to identify the research gap, relevant policy and practice issues, aims and objectives, research question(s), methodology including justification of choice and account of the advanced nature of the methodology, methods, results, discussion including critical review of results in relation to wider evidence/theory/frameworks, implications of results for policy, practice and future research, conclusion and references. For the viva voce examination, two assessors who have read the student's dissertation meet the student and ask questions of the student to check the depth of the student's understanding supporting the dissertation, to probe on specific issues where the assessors consider the dissertation needs improvement and to assess the potential of the student to undertake these improvements.

Module Dates

Activity	Hrs	Date/time	Venue¹
Attend seminar 1: Identifying research question	3	31^st October 2025 10am-1pm	A0.42
Join action learning set 1 (getting started on dissertation)	1	To be confirmed²	Teams
Join action learning set 2 (identifying knowledge gap)	1	To be confirmed²	Teams
Submit 300 word outline of dissertation		19th November 2025 12 noon	Submit via Tabula
Receive confirmation of name of supervisor		19^th December 2025	Via email
Attend Seminar 2: Study design	3	19^th December 2025 10am-1pm	A1.30
Join action learning set 3 (study design)	1	To be confirmed²	Teams
Formative assessment 1: Present project proposal and receive feedback from peers and module lead	5	Full time students Friday 16^th January 2026 10am-12.30pm and 1.30- 4pm Part time students To be confirmed; usually last week of summer term	A0.42 To be confirmed
Submit written project protocol for assessment		Full time students Tuesday 20^th January 2026 12 noon Part time students Three weeks after formative assessment
Join action learning set 4 (data collection)		To be confirmed²
Attend seminar: Data analysis and writing up	3	For full time students Friday 5^th June 2026 10am-1pm Part time students can choose to attend in year 1 or year 2 of their course	A1.30
Join action learning set 5 (Data analysis)	1	To be confirmed	Teams
Join action learning set 6 (writing up)		To be confirmed	Teams
Formative assessment 2: Presentation of summary of research findings with feedback from peers and module lead.	5	Full time students Friday 3^rd July 2026 10am-12.30pm and 1.30- 4.00pm Part time students will attend in year 2 of their course	A1.50