ACIT4100 Understanding and Communicating Research Course description

This course offers an introduction to the practice of writing and reading academic literature. Communicating properly, both in written and oral form, is a cornerstone of research. This course therefore also contains an element of rhetoric and writing techniques. The course will cover common concepts from research methods, such as qualitative and quantitative methods. A brief introduction of the philosophy of science helps us put the vast variations of research in context. Finally, the course introduces research and professional ethics.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student:

• has thorough knowledge of writing in research processes
• has advanced knowledge of forums and channels in which research results are published
• has an introductory knowledge of the philosophy of science related to falsificationism, paradigms and research programs
• has thorough knowledge of the ethical basis for professional codes of conduct
• has advanced knowledge of writing styles related to research
• has thorough knowledge of structural templates for essay texts
• has thorough knowledge of the Toulmin model and its applications

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student:

• can find research literature in literature databases
• can analyse and critically evaluate various information sources
• can write summaries using his/her own words
• can use electronic reference tools
• can identify the research method used in a scientific text
• can explain the application of a research method in a research project
• can organize research literature in such a way as to identify patterns and commonalities
• can communicate a research-related topic using digital media
• can write texts using classic style

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student:

• can reflect and discuss plagiarism
• has a thorough knowledge of responsibility for author and co-authorship in accordance with the Vancouver Convention

All modules will be taught as lectures / seminars with assignments for students. Throughout the course, students will work on an individual essay from their own specialization topic. The essay will contain:

• a literature survey
• a discussion on the methods applied by the researchers in the material reviewed in their survey
• a discussion on the ethical challenges related their topic both with regard to the research applied and relative to uses in society

The essay will give the opportunity for the student to tie together all modules in this course into a cohesive document.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

Two mandatory assignments:

• One recorded presentation of between 5 and 10 minutes.
• A spreadsheet containing results of a research survey including columns for relevant meta-information with at least 7 relevant research papers

All courses included in the specialisation must be completed with pass grades and all coursework requirements must be approved before the candidate may submit the master’s thesis.

On successful completion of the course, the student has the following learning outcomes classified as knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

• The student can
• analyze and critically assess the scientific work of others

Skills

The student can

• demonstrate working knowledge of the ethical and technical principles that govern scientific research and publication, including international citation and reference standards
• demonstrate that they can conduct a supervised research project in accordance with research ethics guidelines and regulations, and guidelines from relevant governmental bodies (i. e. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority, relevant Norwegian Research Ethics Committees and so on)
• choose and apply relevant methods of data collection for research or scientific inquiry
• write a thesis according to criteria determined by the university
• critically assess the results of his own work
• critically assess various sources of information

Competence

The student can

• participate in the development of the behavioral sciences
• justify their professional behavior with reference to ethical guidelines, general ethical considerations and their own assessment of the situation
• analyze and critically assess various sources of information with relevance for the thesis.

The thesis outline and thesis are individual work. Submission of thesis outline is required before a supervisor is appointed. Thesis outline must be submitted the semester before thesis submission at the latest. Students are advised to find a lab group to participate in.

Thesis supervision is compulsory. Each candidate gets a maximum of 30 hours of supervision during the thesis work. If a non-faculty supervisor is appointed, resources are divided by 2/3 of the time for the main supervisor and 1/3 for the second supervisor.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

a. Research ethics seminar 1 and 2 must be fully attended.

b. Approved thesis outline.

c. A signed contract with the appointed supervisor.

Assessment

Thesis. Submission of master’s thesis according to program specifications, consisting of 1 scientific article. Technical standards according to the current APA manual. Submitting dates each year: June 15th and November 15th.

Thesis format

The 30 ECTS Master’s thesis for BSCA consists of one article written in accordance with the author guidelines specified in the current APA Publication Manual. The length should be appropriate for the work that is reported, but should commonly not exceed 40 pages, including the title page, references, tables, and figures, but excluding appendices.

Ethics and data protection

An account of ethical considerations is required if the thesis includes empirical data on humans or nonhuman animals. A risk -and vulnerability analysis (ROS-vurdering) should normally be conducted, and a case number should be included in the title page of the thesis article. If data on humans are included in the thesis, an account of data protection issues is typically required. The description of ethical and data protection considerations can be included in the main body of the thesis. If the decision is made that such an account is not appropriate in the main body of the thesis, a reflection note on this topic should be attached to the thesis. A reflection note is a short description of ethical and data protection considerations, maximum 6000 characters, including spaces. For theses that do not include empirical data, research ethics relevant to the thesis should be discussed, either in the main body of the text or a reflection note

Some Master projects may require consideration or approval from external bodies, such as Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD), the Regional Committee for Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics (REK), National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH), and/or internal or external data protection officials. It is ultimately the responsibility of the main supervisor to ensure that the relevant bodies are consulted. If external bodies are consulted, a case number should be included in the title page of the thesis article. If a decision is made that there is no need to consult external bodies regarding ethics or data protection, a description of the deliberations preceding this decision is required, either in the main body of the thesis or in the reflection note. If the thesis is an empirical work, the main supervisor must state in writing that the research is conducted in accordance with current laws and regulations before the thesis can be submitted.