Research Methods and Dissertation Preparation
Description
The Research Methods and Dissertation Preparation module provides the theoretical insight and practical skills required to critically appraise scientific literature and design, implement, statistically analyse and report a scientific experiment in agricultural sciences.
Learning Outcomes
Source scientific and regulatory/legislative literature and access such relevant information through the use of journals, books, conference proceedings, inter library loans, internet net based scientific specific search engines and other media.
Undertake literature review, critically appraise relevant scientific literature, evaluate the quality of scientific output and cite such literature appropriately.
Identify and choose a research project topic and prepare and deliver an oral presentation, demonstrating an understanding and ability to apply experimental design principles in the planning of scientific data collection, using the appropriate methods for research and hypotheses testing.
Demonstrate an ability to explore data and exhibit an understanding of explorative statistics.
Display an understanding of basic statistical concepts and recognition of data and variable types.
Comprehension of the importance of quantitative data analysis in the evaluation of scientific research.
Use confidence limits to present and reflect on the reliability of data.
Understanding of the assumptions of various statistical tests.
Implement the principles of hypothesis testing to conduct statistical tests for significant difference, relationships and for association, and form scientifically valid conclusions from such analyses.
Exhibit an ability to recognise data types and appropriate tests suitable to test statistical differences or associations between such data.