Overview
Evidence-based practice is integrated throughout the entire Master of Professional Psychology and Master of Public Health. It is essential you establish and evaluate your therapeutic/health practice based on scientific research. This unit will equip you with knowledge and skills related to conducting a systematic review. First you will utilise an acceptable framework such as PICO (problem, intervention, comparison and outcome) to develop a research question. In the next step you will implement the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to conduct a systematic review.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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 - 2020
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 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 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 Student feedback "Have your say" and Unit Coordinator feedback.
Students indicated it would have been helpful to know some of the required concepts prior to the start of term to increase understanding.
Topics related to systematic reviews and skills such as the use of Endnote to be included in a Term 1 unit to assist with building student capacity in preparation for this unit.
Feedback from Student feedback "Have your say" and verbal feedback provided to Head of Course.
Students suggested systematic review supervisor and Unit Coordinator have more discussion prior to term to ensure both agree on expectations.
Unit Coordinator to make contact with potential supervisors early in Term 1 and arrange a zoom meeting to discuss expectations.
Feedback from Verbal feedback
Provision of clearer direction regarding what was group work and what was individual.
Marking rubrics will be altered to further identify individual and group components. Discussion will also occur very early in term regarding time frames for the completion of various parts of the assessment to assist students in remaining on track and supporting their partner.
- Apply an acceptable framework such as PICO (problem, intervention, comparison, outcome) to develop a research question
- Implement the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to produce a systematic review
- Communicate high level evaluation, and synthesis of a specific body of research through the use of systematic review processes.
Applicable to Master of Professional Psychology: Learning outcomes are related to core competencies stated by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), program of study criteria as stated by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), and specifications for study at level 9 as indicated by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||
| 2 - Literature Review or Systematic Review - 70% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||
| 2 - Communication | |||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
| 4 - Research | |||
| 5 - Self-management | |||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
| 7 - Leadership | |||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | |||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||||||||
| 2 - Literature Review or Systematic Review - 70% | |||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.parkinson@cqu.edu.au
r.preston@cqu.edu.au
t.depauw@cqu.edu.au
k.j.burke@cqu.edu.au
Week 1: PRISMA AND PICO
Begin Date: 13 Jul 2020Module/Topic
PRISMA AND PICO
- Review of Term 1 Systematic Review Basics
- The PRISMA approach
- Developing your PICO/S research question
Chapter
See reading list on Unit moodle page
Bring along your draft PICO/S research question
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2: PROTOCOL
Begin Date: 20 Jul 2020Module/Topic
PROTOCOL
- Setting the scene for your systematic review
- Finalising your research question
- Writing your protocol
- PROSPERO
Chapter
See reading list on Unit moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Supervisor to sign off approval for ASSESSMENT 1
Week 3: THE SEARCH STRATEGY
Begin Date: 27 Jul 2020Module/Topic
THE SEARCH STRATEGY
- Choosing databases
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Limits
- Skirmishes into the literature
- Completing a PRISMA flow diagram
Chapter
See reading list on Unit moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4: APPRAISAL
Begin Date: 03 Aug 2020Module/Topic
APPRAISAL
- Assessing study quality
- Checklists and bias checks
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5: DATA EXTRACTION AND COLLATION
Begin Date: 10 Aug 2020Module/Topic
DATA EXTRACTION AND COLLATION
- What data to extract
- How to collate data
- Using tables and figures
Chapter
See reading list on Unit moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 17 Aug 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6: SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS
Begin Date: 24 Aug 2020Module/Topic
SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS
- Synthesis, meta-synthesis, and meta-analysis
- Interpreting the findings
- Writing up the results
- Implications and recommendations
Chapter
See reading list on Unit moodle page
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7: DROP IN TUTORIAL
Begin Date: 31 Aug 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8: DROP IN TUTORIAL
Begin Date: 07 Sep 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9: DROP IN TUTORIAL
Begin Date: 14 Sep 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10: DROP IN TUTORIAL
Begin Date: 21 Sep 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11: DROP IN TUTORIAL
Begin Date: 28 Sep 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12: DROP IN TUTORIAL
Begin Date: 05 Oct 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Systematic Review Due Week 12 Friday (9 October 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Supervisors will also email Supervisor Report to Unit Coordinator by Week 12 Friday (9 October 2020) 5:00pm AEST
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 12 Oct 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 19 Oct 2020Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
This is an individual assessment.
You will be required to submit your Research Template, signed off by your Supervisor.
Your research template will follow the PRISMA Checklist as a guide. You will state your research question (following the PICO/S framework) and your search strategy, including search terms, databases and limits.
This Assessment is worth 30% of your overall unit grade.
Week 3 Friday (31 July 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Submit through the Assessment 1 portal on moodle
Week 5 Friday (14 Aug 2020)
Feedback through moodle
Marking Rubric will be provided on the Unit's moodle page under the Assessment Information tab.
In Brief-
Title: Report identified as a systematic review, meta-analysis, or both; Student name included
Research Question: Explicit question provided; PICO/S format used
Eligibility Criteria: Study characteristics for eligibility provided (as relevant) e.g., PICO/S; Length of follow-up; Limits (e.g., years, language, publication status); Rationale for limits provided
Information sources (databases and grey sources): All information sources described e.g., databases.
Search: Full electronic search strategy for at least one database provided; Limits used include; Search could be easily repeated.
- Apply an acceptable framework such as PICO (problem, intervention, comparison, outcome) to develop a research question
- Implement the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to produce a systematic review
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Research
2 Literature Review or Systematic Review
Following on from Assessment 1, you are required to implement the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to conduct a Systematic Review.
You have already been allocated into groups and provided with your Supervisor's name and contact details.
Your systematic review is to be 6,000 to 8,000 words in length, excluding reference list. You may like to follow the Author Guidelines from a reputable journal to assist with your format. Your supervisor will be able to assist with this process.
A Supervisor report of individual student involvement and commitment will contribute 10% of the mark for this Assessment.
Note: This research project does not require an Ethics application.
Week 12 Friday (9 Oct 2020) 5:00 pm AEST
Submit through the Assessment 2 portal on moodle
Exam Week Friday (23 Oct 2020)
Feedback will be submitted through moodle
Assessment 2 will be marked with regard to adherence to the PRISMA approach (60%). A copy of the full Marking Rubric can be found underneath the Assessment Tab on Moodle.
A Supervisor report of individual student involvement and commitment will contribute 10% of the mark for this Assessment.
- Implement the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol to produce a systematic review
- Communicate high level evaluation, and synthesis of a specific body of research through the use of systematic review processes.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
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?
