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Principles of Clinical Research (CLRS90027)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
March
School of Melbourne Custom Programs
Currently enrolled and future students:
- General information: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/22wa
- Email: TL-ClinicalResearch@unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability | March |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Medical research studies can be split into five distinct phases—conception, design, execution, analysis, and publication/reporting. The quality of a study is highly dependent on the selection of a proper study design and this in turn is determined by the research question to be answered.
This subject will introduce participants to the principles of research within a clinical (ie health) setting, in particular:
- turning an idea into a research question that is measurable and evaluable
- examine different study designs used in clinical/medical research
- selecting a study design appropriate to answering the research question
- refining a research question by examining the current literature through the construction of a ‘literature review’ of published scientific studies
- assessing the strengths, weakness and biases of qualitative and quantitative study designs commonly encountered in the medical literature
- literature searching and critical appraisal of published scientific
This subject provides individuals from medical and allied health professions (such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists etc) and others with a biomedical science-based background with a conceptual framework in research which is undertaken in clinical and medical settings. This subject serves as a basis for advanced study in the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research, the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research and the Master of Clinical Research.
Intended learning outcomes
At the completion of this subject, students should be able to;
- describe the different types of research questions and the characteristics of a ‘good’ research question (PICO)formulate an answerable research question and develop a conceptual hypothesis
- compare and contrast different types of quantitative (eg randomized control trial, case-control, experimental, cross-section, cohort, etc) and qualitative (eg ethnography, case studies, in depth interviewing, document analysis etc) study designs at an introductory level
- develop principles for selecting an appropriate research design that best answers the research question
- describe the various tools available to assess the quality of published qualitative and quantitative research studies and critically appraise the quality of published studies
- demonstrate effective use of online literature databases to find relevant published research studies including how to develop and record a search strategy, identify and apply relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria and select appropriate key words and limits
- differentiate between a narrative, systematic and meta-analysis review identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the three different review types
- demonstrate sufficient preparatory knowledge for more detailed study in clinical research at the Diploma level
Generic skills
On completion of the subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:
- foundational understanding of the principles of research design;
- analyse, evaluate and interpret published scientific evidence using appropriate techniques;
- interpret data from electronic databases;
- apply their understanding to research conception and design;
- communicate advanced concepts in written and oral form;
- the ability to comprehend complex science information
- exercise responsibility for their own learning;
- manage their time effectively.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
To enrol in this subject, students must be admitted in the Professional Certificate in Clinical Research (N28AA), Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research (N12AA), Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (N34AA) or Master of Clinical Research (N01AA). This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Additional details
- 1 x 5min oral presentation (equivalent to 500 words) describing development and justification of a research question, due midway through the intensive teaching period (10%)
- 1 x 60min examination (equivalent to 1000 words) due on the last day of the intensive teaching period (20%)
- Development and execution of a systematic search of the medical literature in an area of interest (equivalent to 1500 words) due 2 weeks after the intensive teaching period (30%)
- Quality assessment (1000 words total) of two published research articles identified through the systemic search of the medical literature due 2 weeks after the intensive teaching period (20%)
- Critical analysis (1000 words) of a published literature review due 4 weeks after the intensive teaching period (20%)
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- March
Principal coordinator Anita Horvath Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours (4 days of intensive sessions) Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 27 March 2017 to 30 March 2017 Last self-enrol date 27 March 2017 Census date 7 April 2017 Last date to withdraw without fail 21 April 2017 Assessment period ends 28 April 2017 March contact information
School of Melbourne Custom Programs
Currently enrolled and future students:
- General information: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/22wa
- Email: TL-ClinicalResearch@unimelb.edu.au
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Students will be provided with articles and references that support the teaching program as part of their course materials.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research Course Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research Course Master of Clinical Research Course Professional Certificate in Clinical Research - Links to additional information
Last updated: 3 November 2022