Overview
This unit will enable you to conduct an independent research inquiry into a specific topic relating to your discipline with the guidance of an allocated supervisor. You will complete a comprehensive review of previous scholarly work relating to your research topic and develop well-articulated research questions. Your research approach, methods and instrumentation of data collection will be determined and finalised in this unit. You will also complete the ethics protocols if your intended research involves people. At the end of this unit, you will develop and present a rigorous project plan that you will execute in the subsequent unit: Research Project 2 (PPMP20016).
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: 1) Successful completion of PPMP20015 and subject to Head of Course approval.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2023
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from End of term student evaluation
Students should be given the discretion to choose their own research topics to better align with their career goals.
Allow students to propose new research topics, subject to availability of supervisors, while offering a range of readily available topics.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator
The use of Microsoft Teams was effective in facilitating two-way real time communications between students and faculty.
Maintain the use of Microsoft Teams as a main communication channel in future offerings.
- Conduct a comprehensive literature review to articulate a research question
- Evaluate the most appropriate research design to test your research question
- Employ ethical practices that consider the social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers
- Apply project management principles in planning your research project
- Communicate research project plan effectively and clearly in written and oral form.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Project (research) - 80% | |||||
| 2 - Oral Examination - 20% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
Research methods for business students
8th edition (2019)
Authors: M. N. K. Saunders, Philip Lewis & Adrian Thornhill
Binding: eBook
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- EndNote Bibliographical application
- E-reading List of Research Stream
- MS Project (optional)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.skaik@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
- Introduction to the research stream
- Select your research topic
- Develop outline proposal
- Download and analyse relevant scholarly articles
Chapter
Reading materials are available in the unit E-reading list and Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
UC Meeting 1
Module/Topic
- Develop an outline proposal
- Start reviewing sources and developing summary and theme matrix tables.
Chapter
Reading materials are available in the unit E-reading list and Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission of outline proposals - compulsory
Module/Topic
- Complete development of summary tables.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
UC Meeting 3
Module/Topic
- Develop literature review
- Synthesise previous research relating to your topic
- Formulate your research question based on the reviewed literature
Chapter
Reading materials are available in the unit E-reading list and Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Finalise your literautre review
- Develop and justify your research methodology.
Chapter
Reading materials are available in the unit E-reading list and Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
UC meeting 3
Module/Topic
Love yourself and enjoy every moment in your break.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Develop and justify your research methodology.
- Select and justify your research method
Chapter
Review the online resources within the relevant section in Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Provide detailed steps and instrumentation for data collection.
- Plan for data analysis
- Test your data collection instrument
Chapter
Review the online resources within the relevant section in Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
UC meeting 4
Module/Topic
- Identify the target population for your research.
- Identify the primary or secondary data sources
- Plan your sampling
Chapter
Review the online resources within the relevant section in Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Develop the ethics statement for your project
- Prepare ethics application (if applicable to your project).
Chapter
Review the online resources within the relevant section in Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
UC meeting 5
Module/Topic
- Decide research scope, exclusions, assumptions and limitations.
- Develop risk register, stakeholder analysis and data management plan.
- Develop a detailed project schedule and budget for the implementation phase.
Chapter
Review the online resources within the relevant section in Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Submit your research plan
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
- Present your research plan.
- Submit your ethics application (if applicable)
Chapter
Review the online resources within the relevant section in Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
For any query relating to this unit, contact Dr Samer Skaik, the unit coordinator.
1 Project (research)
Overview:
This assessment requires you to work independently or in pairs in planning your research project as directed by the unit coordinator. You will work closely with an allocated supervisor for the entire duration of the research project spanning over the two terms. The assessment has two main components:
- 1A - Outline Proposal (1000 words) (compulsory-non graded) - due by the end of week 2.
- 1B – Recorded Presentation and Artefact Submission (20 marks), due in week 6:
- 1C – Research Project Plan and Comprehensive Artefact Submission (60 marks), due in week 11.
Important Notes:
- Working in pairs: If you are directed to work in pairs, your submission must include a contribution statement that clearly describes the roles and responsibilities assigned to each student within the pair and the specific areas of the project each student was primarily responsible for. The Artefact submission must include subfolders labelled with student names and includes all artefacts contributed by each student.
- Compulsory submissions: Students are required to submit an outline proposal in week 2 and prepare slides and present their progress during the scheduled progress meetings as directed by the unit coordinator. Failing to submit a compulsory assessment or show reasonable progress via regular presentations will attract a deduction of 5 marks as a penalty for each incident.
- Faculty-student Interviews: Some students may be selected for further evaluation through an interview with the faculty. The selection of students for interviews will be based on the quality of their artefact submission, and other relevant factors determined by the faculty. The purpose of the interview is to delve deeper into the student's research process, clarify their understanding of the process and product, and assess the genuine contribution made by the student in their submissions.
- Working with your supervisor: You will work closely with the allocated supervisor for the entire duration of the research project. The onus is upon you to make contact with the supervisor and to arrange and adhere to a programme of regular meetings thereafter. The supervisor is not obliged to chase you in order to check on your work progress. The supervisor will advise on the structure and suitability of the work, guide you through the entire process, and warn you if the work is not thought to be of a satisfactory standard. You should maintain contact with your supervisor throughout the preparation of your work.
Assessment 1A: Outline Proposal (compulsory-non graded):
The task requires you to submit a concise outline proposal for your research project, demonstrating an understanding of the main components required for a research project. Your proposal should not exceed 1000 words excluding references. You must select a research topic from the given list. The outline proposal must include the following components:
- Introduction: Clearly state the research problem & rationale, provide background information, and state the research question.
- Literature Review: Summarise relevant literature, identify gaps, controversies, and justify the need for your research.
- Methodology: Describe the research design, data collection methods/sources, ethical considerations, and data analysis techniques/tools.
- Expected Results and Implications: State anticipated outcomes, discuss implications, and highlight practical applications/recommendations.
- Timeline and Resources: Develop a timeline with key milestones of research activities and identify necessary resources.
Assessment 1B: Recorded Presentations and Artefact Submission (20 marks)
Task Description:
To prepare for your research plan, you are required to record a 15-minute oral presentation focusing on the initial stages of your research project. The presentation should demonstrate your summary tables, literature review, research questions, research design and personal reflection. The reflection must honestly record your personalised experience, challenges and learning in the first six weeks. Ensure that your face and presentation slides are clearly visible in the recording. Use Zoom or a similar app to record your presentation, save it to your computer, and upload it to both YouTube and the Artefact folder.
For submission in Moodle, provide a shared link to your presentation. Make sure your presentation is well-prepared, presenting the content in a clear and concise manner. It should demonstrate your understanding of the project and your genuine engagement with the scheduled activities in the first six weeks of the course.
Artefact Submission:
In addition to the presentation, you must provide a link to the OneDrive folder where you have stored all your research artefacts. The folder should include relevant materials such as annotated cited articles, summary tables, theme matrix table, earlier word drafts, communications with stakeholders, status reports, meeting minutes, presentation materials, and any other resources you have used or created during the development of your interim submission.
Note: This assessment requires a 15-minute oral presentation on your research planning in the first six weeks. Record the presentation, upload it to YouTube and the Artefact folder, and submit a shared link in Moodle. Additionally, provide a link to the OneDrive folder containing all your research artefacts.
Assessment 1C: Research Project Plan and Comprehensive Artefact Submission (60 marks)
Your ultimate task is to develop a research plan report on a promising topic relating to your discipline. The task requires you to demonstrate that you can conduct a piece of rigorous literature review in your chosen field and involves critical appraisal and review of key arguments. You must include a minimum of 15 journal articles in your literature review. The task then requires you to formulate your research questions and develop your research design, including your project management documentation.
The assessment specifications:
Your research project plan must take the format of an academic report. The sections/components of the report should appear in the following order. A template with clear guidelines on how to write key sections is available in Moodle for your use.
- Research topic
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Research question and objectives.
- The need and significance of the study (1000 words max)
- Summary and theme matrix tables based on annotated PDF sources (with screenshots of a few annotated PDF files as samples).
- Literature review based on developed summary and theme tables (4000 words max)
- Research Methodology (2000 words)
- Project management implementation plan (1000 words): addressing core PM areas. MS Project must be used to develop the Gantt chart.
- Conclusion, limitations and expected outcomes and implications
- Reflective & contribution statement by each group member (300-500 words): explain your contribution to the pair work if applicable and evaluate pair dynamics and summarise experiences, feelings, and reactions in completing this unit and approaches to deal with incurred risks or delays and comment on the resources or feedback you found to be helpful or unhelpful in completing the assessment tasks.
- A hyperlink to the OneDrive shared folder with screenshots of the content of the main folder and group members sub-folders.
- References
- Appendices (data collection instrument, ethics application (if applicable), MS Project Gantt chart, etc.)
For guidance, the report should be a minimum of 8,000 words in length, excluding references and appendices.
Along with the research plan, students must provide an updated link to the same OneDrive folder used for the interim submission, where all their research artefacts are stored. The folder must include all relevant materials, such as research data, annotated cited articles, earlier drafts, communications with stakeholders, status reports, minutes of meetings, presentation materials, and any other relevant materials or resources created or used in the development of the research paper. If you worked in pairs, the One Drive folder must also include sub-folders labelled with group member names, which include the member own contributions and exchanged communications throughout the term for scrutiny by the faculty.
Week 6 Friday (25 Aug 2023) 9:00 pm AEST
Week 8 Friday (8 Sept 2023)
Assessment 1A: Outline Proposal
This is a compulsory non-graded assessment. Failing to submit by the deadline will attract a flat deduction of 5 marks from the overall assessment.
Assessment 1B: Recorded Presentation & Artefact Submission:
- Content knowledge (8 marks): Thorough coverage of main components of initial research process, sound knowledge and understanding of the project. Reflection is honest and personalised.
- Organisation & structure (2 marks): well-organised material, logical content ordering, and coherent structure.
- Professionalism & Presentation Skills (2 marks): effective communication and use of body language & eye contact, use of visual aids, engaging the audience with a confident and professional presence, and time management.
- OneDrive Folder Content (8 marks): Inclusion and organisation of complete relevant research artefacts in the OneDrive folder. Artefacts are genuine and original as a result of student own work and effort.
Assessment 1C: Project Research Plan
The assessment will be done according to the presentation, accuracy, and coverage of the content for each aspect of the submission as per the given specifications. Failing to submit a compulsory submission or deliver a progress presentation will attract a deduction of 5 marks as a penalty. The following rubric will be used to assess your final report:
| HD | D | C | P | F |
| Project need and significance (10%) Project is original in its approach and will contribute to the chosen discipline. Significance emerges logically from construction of argument in addition to being clearly articulated. | Project is justified and will consolidate understanding. Significance emerges from construction of argument in addition to being articulated. | Project is relevant and will consolidate student’s understanding. Significance does not emerge easily in argument but it is evident in addition to being outlined. | Project replicates well-established understanding. Significance is stated but does not emerge from argument. | Project is too simplistic or disorganised to offer any significance. |
| Research Questions & Objectives (5%) Original and highly relevant research questions are clearly articulated. The specified RQs are well aligned with the project focus. Objectives are concisely elaborated and aligned with RQs. | Clearly relevant research questions are determined. Objectives are well formulated. | Relevant research questions outlined, but could be tighter in their focus. Objectives are identified and mostly relevant to project. | Research questions outlined but lacking in clarity, relevance to project focus. Objectives are described in broad terms only. | Research questions are missing, unclear or so poorly written and irrelevant to project. Objectives are missing or poorly articulated. |
| Literature Review (15%) Critical and highly organised literature review that outlines the context for the research project. Critical appraisal of the key previous research relevant to the study is clearly evident throughout. The literature review is fully based on the annotated PDF sources, summary and theme matrix tables. | Well-argued and logical literature review that provides a good overview of the background and context of the research project. Evaluation of key previous research is quite evident throughout. The literature review is substantially based on the annotated PDF sources, the summary and theme matrix tables. | Good range of literature examined throughout the presentation that is most relevant to the project’s background and context. Key studies contrasted but little evidence of evaluation. The literature review is partially based on the annotated PDF sources, the summary and theme matrix tables. | Points are supported with relevant literature, but the scope of the literature review is limited, as is background and context for the project. Some key studies not referred to at all or only inferred. The literature review is barely based on the annotated PDF sources, summary and theme matrix tables. | The quality of the literature referred to is questionable or not relevant to the project’s background or context. Few key studies referred to. The literature review is not based on the summary and theme matrix tables or the PDF sources are not annotated or tables are not submitted. |
| Research Design and Data Collection Methods (15%) Research design and data collection method are exceptionally articulated, justified and detailed. Details include data collection instruments, diagrams and complete ethics documentation (if applicable). | Research design and data collection method are well argued, justified and detailed. | Research design and data collection method are explained and appropriate for the project. | Research design and data collection method are broadly outlined, but details are not always clear. | Research design and data collection method are either not appropriate for the project or are poorly articulated suggesting deficits in understanding. |
| Project Management (15%) Highly robust, detailed and practical PM documentation with well-thought-off content reflecting an outstanding understanding of the scope and issues relating to the implementation stage of research. | The PM documentation is nicely structured and detailed with excellent consideration of the project issues. | The PM documentation is included with sufficient detail. | The PM documentation is broadly outlined, but details are not clear or accurate enough. | The PM documentation is either not appropriate for the project or is poorly detailed with illogical content & lack of integration, suggesting deficits in understanding of the scope and issues relating to the implementation stage of research. MS Project was not used to develop Gantt Chart. |
| Contribution & Reflective statements (10%) Exceptional contribution: leadership, quality work, effective collaboration, comprehensive evaluation, deep insights. | High level of contribution: quality work, effective collaboration, detailed evaluation, thoughtful insights. | Satisfactory contribution: occasional shortcomings, adequate collaboration, evaluation, some insights. | Minimal contribution: fell short in quality, timeliness, collaboration, superficial evaluation, limited insights. | Negligible contribution: ineffective collaboration, minimal reflection, poor evaluation, no insights. |
| Overall content, format & referencing (10%) Excellent organisation and logical structure of the paper; effective use of headings and subheadings; clear and coherent writing style; professional presentation with proper citations and references. | Well-structured and organised paper; effective use of headings and subheadings; clear and coherent writing style; professional presentation with proper citations and references. | Fairly structured and presented paper (over and above basic standard); clear and coherent writing style; proper citations and references. | Basic structure and presentation of the paper; clear and coherent writing style; proper citations and references. | Poorly structured and presented paper; lacks clarity and coherence; inadequate citations and references. |
| OneDrive Artefact (20%) Inclusion of all relevant research artefacts in the OneDrive folder; comprehensive collection of accurate and organised materials; demonstrates genuine engagement with the research process; exceptional evidence of collaboration. | Inclusion of all relevant research artefacts in the OneDrive folder; comprehensive collection of accurate and organised materials; demonstrates genuine engagement with the research process; solid evidence of collaboration | Inclusion of relevant research artefacts in the OneDrive folder; collection of accurate and organised materials; demonstrates engagement with the research process; fair evidence of collaboration | Inclusion of research artefacts in the OneDrive folder; collection of materials with some accuracy and organisation; demonstrates limited engagement with the research process; limited evidence of collaboration | Inadequate inclusion or absence of research artefacts in the OneDrive folder; incomplete or disorganised collection of materials; lacks genuine engagement with the research process; lacks evidence of collaboration. |
- Conduct a comprehensive literature review to articulate a research question
- Evaluate the most appropriate research design to test your research question
- Employ ethical practices that consider the social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers
- Apply project management principles in planning your research project
- Communicate research project plan effectively and clearly in written and oral form.
2 Oral Examination
The task requires you to present and defend your research project plan. You must submit the presentation slides via Moodle by the given deadline. All oral presentations will take place during week 12 via Zoom as scheduled by the unit coordinator. The task aims to test your understanding and knowledge of the developed work and provide you with feedback to improve your plan before proceeding with the final phase of your research. The presentation must essentially provide sufficient details about your research project. Presentations will take place via Zoom only. You will present your intended project to the respective faculty and peers. All students enroled in this unit must attend. You will have a strict 15 minutes of presentation time plus 10 minutes of Q&A and feedback time (15+10=25 mins). Exceeding the time limits for presentation will encounter mark deductions; therefore, you are encouraged to have adequate rehearsal in advance. The proposed flow of the slides is suggested to be as follows:
- Research topic
- Introduction/background
- The need and significance of the study
- The process of developing literature review
- Literature review findings
- Research questions and objectives
- Research design
- Project management plan
- Expected outputs and implications
- Demonstration of the content of the shared folder using screenshots.
- Personal reflection on your learning in this unit
Week 12 Monday (2 Oct 2023) 9:00 am AEST
Review/Exam Week Friday (13 Oct 2023)
- Technical Content (40%): Thorough coverage of main components, sound knowledge and understanding of the research project planning, logical alignment between all components, and viability and focus of the proposed project.
- Delivery of Presentation (30%): Well-organised material, logical content ordering, appropriate communication style, effective argument construction, evidence integration, time management, use of visual aids, effective use of body language and eye contact
- Handling of Questions (30%): Ability to provide confident or insightful answers, demonstrate original contribution and sharp thinking.
- Conduct a comprehensive literature review to articulate a research question
- Evaluate the most appropriate research design to test your research question
- Employ ethical practices that consider the social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers
- Apply project management principles in planning your research project
- Communicate research project plan effectively and clearly in written and oral form.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
