Research Planning PG (6486.6)

Please note these are the 2028 details for this unit
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Research Planning PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Online real-time
 Bruce, Canberra
UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Health
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Faculty Of Health Post Graduate Level Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit introduces the research process and provides practical training in research skills relevant to undertaking research in the health sciences. The unit will also provide you with critical skills to evaluate and inform your practice as a health practitioner. In this unit, students will explore the processes and steps involved when planning a specific research project, formulating and justifying a research question(s), developing an appropriate methodology and sampling procedures to test a research question(s). It also addresses research approaches, ethical and research budget considerations, technical writing skills, information retrieval skills and methods of communicating research data in the health science sector. Students will be required to secure a mentor for the unit.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Develop and apply a literature search strategy for a broad research question;
2. Critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise the literature in the relevant research area to identify the knowledge gaps;
3. Devise a specific research question to address the identified knowledge gap;
4. Develop a research design, including methodology, data collection and analysis, ethical and budgetary considerations to appropriately answer the specific research question; and
5. Transmit the acquired research outcomes in an academic writing style relevant to the assignment task.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways


Prerequisites

Graduate entry.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

6998 Developing a Research Project PG

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

This unit assumes:
1 - the knowledge and skills of epidemiology and research methods,
2 - the research skills and knowledge of data analysis including either quantitative analysis and statistics, or qualitative research analysis, and
3 - familiarity with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018 and NHMRC Research Integrity and Management of Data and Information documents.
Availability for enrolment in 2027, 2028 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2026 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 16 February 2026 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2026 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 08 June 2026 Online real-time Prof Julie Cooke
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2026 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 2 10 August 2026 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2027 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 15 February 2027 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2027 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 15 February 2027 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2027 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 09 August 2027 Online real-time Dr Nicole Freene
2027 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 2 09 August 2027 Online real-time Dr Nicole Freene
2028 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 14 February 2028 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2028 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 14 February 2028 Online real-time Assoc Prof Theo Niyonsenga
2028 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 2 07 August 2028 Online real-time Dr Nicole Freene
2028 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 07 August 2028 Online real-time Dr Nicole Freene
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Recommended readings can be found on Canvas

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Where possible, all assessment items will be submitted online via the teaching site in UCLearn. The first page of each assessment item should include the following information:

Student ID number: Assessment Name:

Word Count (if applicable):

Students' names are not to be included on any assessment tasks/submission. Only Student ID numbers should be included (as per the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedures).

Assessment items must be submitted to the assignment area in the UCLearn teaching site, relating to that piece of assessment. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item, to the right submission section.

Late submissions will only be accepted for a limited period. If more than one late submission is made within that period, only the first late submission will be accepted for marking and may be subject to penalties as detailed in the Assessment Procedures.

Extensions

Students can apply for an extension to the submission due date for an assessment item due to extenuating, evidenced circumstances (specific details are found in the Assessment Procedures). An extension must be applied for before the due date. Documentary evidence (e.g. medical certificate) will be expected for an extension to be granted, however this will not guarantee that the application will be successful. The Unit Convener or relevant Program Director/Course Convener will decide whether to grant an extension and the length of the extension.

An Assignment Extension form is available from the Student Forms page.

Late Submission

To support the provision of timely feedback to students within the unit, late penalties will apply for summative assessments where late submission is permitted. Late submissions without an approved extension or reasonable adjustment will result in a penalty of a mark reduction of 10% of the maximum available marks for the assessment item per day (or part thereof) up to and including three calendar days. If a student submits more than three calendar days late without an approved extension or reasonable adjustment, the student will be allocated a mark of zero for that assessment, with no feedback provided.

Approval of extensions based on extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assignments and assessable materials will be submitted online via Canvas.

Artificial intelligence

Students are permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for this unit.

GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:

  1. the Unit Convener has authorised GenAI use for that assessment
  2. the student uses GenAI in the way that the assessment instructions allow
  3. the student fully acknowledges their use of GenAI, with proper citations, references and a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement in line with the assessment instructions.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not permitted for that assessment. Students must still provide the required GenAI Acknowledgement Statement to indicate whether GenAI has or has not been used in the preparation of the assessment. If unsure, students should seek advice from the Unit Convener. In this instance if it is suspected students have used GenAI, they will be asked to attend a Learning Validation Conversation (LVC) with the unit convener. 

The GenAI for Students Links to an external site. Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Special assessment requirements

Please ensure you follow this formatting: 

-  Student ID needs to be in the 'Header' of the document. 

-  Font: headings maximum 14 point. Text usually 11 or 12-point Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri.

- Double-space lines, so there is space for your assessor to write comments on the paper.

-  Insert page numbers at the bottom of the pages. 

-  Referencing should be APA 7 or Vancouver style (the library has guides for these). We recommend you take up Endnote workshops at the library. Get Endnote on your computer, and you can directly download searches from databases into your reference library. All references must have a DOI.

- Submit a word, .doc, .or .pdf.

Important: Text beyond the word count will not be marked. Assignments that exceed the specified words will be truncated at the word limit and only assessed to this point.

Word count will include: Introduction, method, results, discussion, conclusions, quotes, citations, or any other sections in the body of the work.

Word count does NOT include title, abstract, tables, figures, captions, references or appendices.

Supplementary assessment

Academic Integrity

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023.

For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Moderation of assessment items:

Moderation will be followed as per the Assessment policy and procedures.

All assessment items, including exams, are internally reviewed and moderated before they are published in unit outlines, listed on canvas, or printed out for the final exam period. This review of assessment items is performed by another academic within the same faculty who has a good understanding of the subject matter and it is done as part of the unit curriculum review process.

Moderation of marking: 
The moderation of assessment items is based first, on a sample chosen randomly from submitted assignments, to develop a common view of grading, for each person contributing to marking the assignments. In addition all failed assignments are moderated as well as a selection of others across representative grades. 

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

This unit requires that you are independent, organised, disciplined, and self-motivated.

You will need to set a plan for yourself, small achievable deadlines, and stick to them. The rate you learn in the unit, is up to you. Some structure and suggested dates are provided, but it is not compulsory, except for assignment due dates.

Please use the discussion board to engage with the rest of the cohort - Use the discussion pages to find people with similar topics, or problems, and helpful people. 

How to find help

1. Online discussion pages.

2. Your mentor: Keep meetings with your mentor, make notes, and keep track of actions and outcomes. Generally make sure you give your writing to your mentor at least one week prior to the due date. They will need 3-4 days to read it, and you will need 3-4 days to make the changes they advise. 

3. Tutorials/Virtual Room. These are important for your progression. Please make sure you have listened to the lecture prior to the tutorial. Tutorials will only work if you a) do the preparation work, and b) Attend - Bring your work, be prepared to ask quesitons and engage with content.

4. Unit convenor drop in sessions - there is a weekly set time for online or face to face drop in. Or you can request another time, by email. 

5. Make sure drafts of work are presented to mentors or tutors at the agreed time. There are tutorial times set a side to review drafts. Your mentor will probably be willing to review your drafts too. Make sure you provide your drafts 5 to 7 days in advance of the submission date, otherwise you may not have time to turn-around the feedback. 

Inclusion and engagement

Please let the Unit Convenor know if any assistance is required.

Participation requirements

You must attend tutorials and/or have regular meetings with your mentor to succeed in this unit. If you will be meeting with your mentor individually, discuss how you will meet with your mentor (e.g., Zoom) in week 1, and write it into your mentor agreement. Weekly or fortnightly is recommended. 

Weekly drop-in times are available with the unit convenor. (See Canvas, these are held in the virtual room) . These are not compulsory but are informal Q&A.

Ultimately, you need to be independent, motivated, and self-paced. Please reach out early if you are having trouble. 

Required IT skills

Access to the internet, familiarity with the library, database searching skills, and familiarity with canvas.

In-unit costs

As above.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

N/A

Next step

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