| Unit name | Literature Review |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PANMM0027 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2C (weeks 13 - 18) |
| Unit director | Dr. Koh |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
In this unit you will carry out a review of the literature pertinent to a current topic of biomedical sciences research. You will have guidance from a supervisor who has a particular interest or expertise in the field. Your supervisor will support you and provide formative feedback on your work. You will develop evaluative skills through writing a reflective piece in response to their feedback. This unit will help you develop skills in critical analysis and written communication, which will be important in your studies and future career.
How does this fit in with your programme of study?
This mandatory unit which runs in Teaching Block 2 (TB2C) will build on critical academic skills that you develop and practice within the Core Skills unit and in your optional units. You will engage critically with the literature and the skills developed during the Literature Review will be helpful when you move on to working on the Project Proposal, which provides the review of the background literature and project planning for the Research Project.
You will submit a draft of your Literature Review and receive feedback from your project supervisor. You will consider the feedback carefully and write a reflective piece on how you have addressed the feedback in preparing the final submission. This reflective practice, refining and developing ideas, will be useful during your Research Project and in your future career.
An overview of content
This Unit consists of a Literature Review to be completed in the style of a contemporary biomedical journal review. A list of possible project topics and related starter references will be provided, to give students a taste of the topic. Regular Journal Club sessions throughout the unit will allow you to work with peers to develop skills in critiquing primary research papers. You will work independently to complete a review of your chosen topic, guided by your supervisor. You will also write a reflective response to feedback provided by your supervisor, allowing you to address their comments and refine your writing.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will gain skills in critically evaluating the scientific literature and in presenting a review in the format of a particular journal, with appropriate referencing. You will develop the ability to work independently and will learn effective time management and organisation skills that are highly valued by employers. You will practice the important lifelong skill of reflecting on feedback and making appropriate changes to refine and develop your work. In attending regular Journal Club sessions, you will develop the confidence to work in groups to discuss and appraise published biomedical research.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the Unit you should be able to:
In this unit, you will work independently to study the literature relevant to your chosen topic, exploring an important question in the biomedical sciences to produce your literature review. You will have regular meetings with your project supervisor to discuss your progress. You will develop reflective skills, learning to apply constructive feedback to refine your approach. You will attend regular journal club sessions where you will learn how to critically engage with primary research and discuss different experimental approaches with peers.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks:
You will have already gained experience of critically engaging with scientific literature and will have developed scientific writing skills through written assessments in the MSc Core Skills unit (unit code) and also in your optional units. You will build on these skills to produce a literature review, with the opportunity to submit a work-in-progress draft of your literature review to your supervisor for formative feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
You will write a literature review, in the style of an important contemporary biomedical sciences journal (90% of mark). You will also produce a written response to your supervisor’s feedback, reflecting on your feedback and revisions to your work (10%).
When an assessment does not go to plan
If you are unable to submit your literature review by the deadline, you can request a coursework extension, at least 48 hours ahead of the submission deadline.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to the programme of study. The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PANMM0027).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
