You need to prepare an annotated bibliography of three (3) journal articles closely related to your proposed research project. Note: The annotations must not simply be a review of just the content of the reference. They need to demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate and analyse the literature and relate its relevance to your proposed research project. It would be expected that the literature used in this assignment would be relevant to assessment items 2, 3 and 4 in this unit. You can choose any standard referencing style, but it must be consistent throughout the entire assignment. Check with your Research Supervisor(s) about which referencing style you should be using for your thesis.

The annotations must not simply be a review of the content of the references. You need to demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate and analyse the literature and explain how it is relevant to your proposed research topic. It would be expected that the literature discovered in this assignment would also be relevant to assessment items 2, 3 and 4 in this unit.

Overview of the assessment criteria

• introduction provided the context for selecting the references and linked the annotated bibliography to the
• proposed research project;
• a clear, concise summary of each reference;
• clear, concise academic writing;
• evaluation of the author(s) credentials;
• linkage of each annotation to your proposed research topic;
• critical analysis of the references;
• correct layout for an annotated bibliography;
• used an appropriate referencing style;
• correct spelling and grammar.

It will be assessed as Satisfactory or Resubmit - Resubmission is due within seven days

You are required to write an initial literature review focusing on previous research related to your proposed study. Use the literature to support the identification of your research problem and to highlight the gap in the existing research that needs to be filled. It should document the connections you have made between the source texts that you draw upon and where you position your research among the extant literature. It should demonstrate to the reader that you have engaged with, understood and responded to the relevant body of knowledge underpinning your proposed research project. This initial literature review is more than just documenting relevant information, and it should go beyond being a descriptive annotated bibliography. The initial literature review should summarise, critically evaluate, synthesise, and clearly link the literature to your proposed project.

The initial literature review must not simply be a review of the content of the references. You need to demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate and analyse the literature and explain how it is relevant to your proposed research topic. It should go beyond being a descriptive annotated bibliography. It should synthesise the literature into themes.

Overview of the assessment criteria

• introduction described the purpose of the literature review and linked the literature review to the proposed
• research project;
• provided the context for selecting the references and a clear description of the criteria used to select the literature;
• used clear, concise academic writing;
• synthesised the literature into themes and linked each theme to your proposed research topic;
• critical analysis of the references;
• conclusion summed up the major contributions of the literature and clearly identified the significance of the
• literature to your proposed research topic;
• correct layout for a literature review;
• used an appropriate referencing style;
• correct spelling and grammar.

It will be assessed as Satisfactory or Resubmit - Resubmission is due within seven days

This assessment item requires you to build on the research foundations, research processes, research methods and practices that you have explored in this unit. It is expected that by this time you will have a clearly defined research project in consultation with your research supervisor(s). Guided by theory and your examination of the research methodologies, you should be able to formulate a research design for your proposed research project.

In this assessment item you need to describe the overall research strategy that you will employ to integrate the various components of your proposed research project in a logical and coherent manner. The research design must ensure that you will effectively address the research problem you have identified. It must include the research aims and objectives, the research questions and/or hypotheses you propose to answer, and the research paradigm, methodology, research methods and techniques you intend to use to collect and analyse data for your proposed research project.

The full assessment specification (requirements and assessment criteria) is available on the Moodle unit website.

Overview of the assessment criteria:

• a clear description of your proposed research project, aims and objectives;
• appropriateness of your research questions and/or hypotheses;
• the linkage between the proposed research topic and the research design, methodology and
• methods/techniques;
• analysis and justification of research methods/techniques;
• justification of the suitability of the methods/techniques to the proposed research project;
• conclusion accurately sums up your research design;
• used an appropriate referencing style;
• academic writing style suitable to an RHD thesis;
• correct spelling and grammar.

It will be assessed as Satisfactory or Resubmit - Resubmission is due within seven days

This final assessment has been designed to help you to construct Section A of your CoC submission. It aligns with the requirements of the CoC Submission described in the Confirmation of Candidature Procedure. To construct this assessment, you draw upon work undertaken in previous Assessment items in this unit (RSCH20001).

It should be noted that a Pass result in RSCH20001 does not imply that you will pass your Confirmation of Candidature. The grade awarded in RSCH20001 reflects your ability to meet the learning outcomes, which includes generic skills such as communication and analytical skills. It will be assessed by someone who is typically not a content expert in your field. By contrast, the Confirmation of Candidature document will be assessed against the expectations of a masters or doctoral degree, according to the conventions in your discipline area, and according to the judgement of two experts from the field.

Please note that your final Confirmation of Candidature submission document will need to comply with CQUniversity’s Confirmation of Candidature Procedure which has a Section A and a Section B. Section A only is required for this assessment. When completing your CoC submission you need to ensure that you have fulfilled ALL the requirements outlined in the Confirmation of Candidature Procedure.

The format of this assessment will be dependent on both the level of the degree in which you are enrolled (Masters by coursework, Masters by research, Professional Doctorate, or Doctor of Philosophy), and the discipline area of the proposed research project (discipline areas may have specific requirements imposed on their students). You need to consult with your Research Supervisors and Unit Coordinator if you are unsure. You should also consult the University policy regarding the requirements for candidature of the degree in which you are enrolled. See Research Higher Degree Course Rules Policy and Procedure.

Your assessment should provide a rationale for the proposed investigation. It should also justify your choice of research design and selection of research methodology and associated methods. You need to include a comprehensive literature review of previous studies pertinent to your proposed research project and a plan of your thesis (chapter outline). You are strongly encouraged to frequently discuss issues encountered during the development of your assessment submission with your Research Supervisors and/or the Unit Coordinator.

The full assessment specification (requirements and assessment criteria) is available on the Moodle unit website.

Overview of assessment criteria:

• the abstract accurately summarises the proposed research project;
• the table of contents contains the main headings and sub-headings;
• the introduction clearly introduces the proposed research project;
• realistic aims and objectives that link to your anticipated outcomes;
• research questions and/or hypotheses that address the research problem;
• critical analysis of the literature;
• an accurate statement of the proposed contribution to the field of research;
• the research design is clearly articulated and justified;
• the appropriateness of the research design/methodology, methods;
• realistic thesis plan;
• the conclusion summarises the main points of the research design;
• use of an appropriate referencing style;
• correct formatting and layout (including the Title Page and electronically generated Table of Contents);
• written in an academic style, correct spelling and grammar.

It will be assessed as Commendable (Pass), Satisfactory (Pass) or Unsatisfactory (Fail).