Overview

Indicative content -Designing research questions -Designing a research project -Research ethics -Systematic literature reviews -Reviewing existing research -Choosing quantitative or qualitative or mixed methods research -Data analyses -Presenting research findings

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -D- to D+Assessment is based on the degree of engagement with academic literature and student's ability to summarise and critically analyse theory.For a threshold grade, engagement with the academic literature is weak; the student's ability to summarise theory will be mainly descriptive; and there will be little critical analysis and understanding of how theory relates to policing practice. -good -C- to B+Assessment is based on the degree of engagement with academic literature and student's ability to summarise and critically analyse theory.For a good and very good grade, there will be good engagement with the academic literature, reflected in the use of a wide range of academic sources; the discussion of the academic theory will go beyond mere description and there will be a critical analysis of theory and how it is applied to policing practice. -excellent -A- to A+Assessment is based on the degree of engagement with academic literature and student's ability to summarise and critically analyse theory.For an excellent grade, there will be extensive engagement with the relevant academic literature; a sophisticated presentation of academic theory and a well developed critical analysis of theory. Students will show an excellent grasp of how theory relates to practice.

Learning Outcomes

• Design a piece of empirical research and analyse primary or secondary data

• Evidence an understanding of quantitative or qualitative research methods

• Evidence skills to design a feasible research question in the field of policing

• Present a substantial written piece of work based on independent empirical research

• Present research findings in an accessible manner

• Show engagement with principles of evidence based policing