SOEE5010 Research Methods

SOEE5010 Research Methods

Summative Assessment Guidelines

Content and structure of the research paper

The final assignment consists of a 3,000 word research paper and a 200 word abstract (3,200 words in total) on adaptation to flooding in the UK that reports an individual research piece based on the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. You may use your original submission and improve it to pass quality.

The assignment structure mimics your dissertation, so you gain skills in identifying research questions, designing appropriate research analyses to answer those questions, and academic writing.  

Deadline

The resit is due in August (Date TBD by the Assessment team), at 2pm.

Essay title

You will choose a specific research question and focus of data analysis related to adaptation to flooding in the UK. The title of your research paper should reflect this specific research question, not be generic to the assessment, such as ‘An Analysis of the Drivers of Adaptation to Flooding’.

Data for the essay

The analysis in your essay must be based on the quantitative survey data AND the qualitative interview data on adaptation to flooding that we provide you with in this module.

You do not need to use ALL the information from the surveys and the interviews, but can use them selectively to answer your chosen research question on adaptation to flooding.

You do not need to use ALL the tests you learned in the statistics units, but should use at least some descriptive AND some inferential statistics.

You should provide tables, graphs, and figures in your results section, appropriate to your analysis.

Structure

Your essay should be structured like an academic journal article. There is not just one way of structuring an academic journal article, but there are some key aspects that are essential for any reporting of this kind. We recommend the following sections:

· Abstract (200 words max): The abstract provides a concise summary of the research paper, stating the research question, its importance and the gap it addresses; summary of methods, findings and conclusions.

· Introduction. Including: general introduction to the topic of the research paper (adaptation to flooding in the UK); motivation of this research (research gap); aims and objectives of the research; and a specific research question that your research paper addresses.

· Literature review. Including: how does your research question fit into the broader literature on adaptation to flooding. Explain the research gap in a bit more detail at the end of this section. For this section, you can draw on the core readings on flooding provided in this module, and you should include other papers that you have found on the topic through your own literature search.

· Methodology. Including:

o General overview and justification of the research design, including the name of the mixed methods strategy you are using;

o Description of the secondary quantitative and qualitative data that you will use for this project (which we provide an overview of);

o Description and justification of your approach to data analysis – be specific here about your statistical tests (and why they’re appropriate for your research question) and the type of coding you’re using (deductive vs inductive, by hand/with NVivo);

o Methodological limitations of this study.

· Results. Including:

o Results from the quantitative survey analysis: A descriptive statistic AND an  inferential statistic, to show comparison across socio-demographic groups and relationships across variables);

o Results from the qualitative interview analysis (including themes you find in the data AND anonymised exemplar quotes plus interpretation of how they demonstrate these themes);

o results from the combination of the two. In the data analysis, you can focus on data relevant to your chosen research question, but you have to make use of BOTH the quantitative survey and the qualitative interview data.

· Discussion. Including: critically discuss how your findings relate to the existing literature on adaptation to flooding, what your study has added to the literature, any gaps for future research.

· Conclusions. Including: a brief summary of your overall findings, and a brief assessment of possible practical or policy implications from your research, and identification of remaining gaps that future research should address.

· List of references. Use the University of Leeds Harvard Reference style. https://library.leeds.ac.uk/referencing-examples/9/leeds-harvard 

· Appendix. 4 pages maximum, including: proof of your analysis, as you will be asked to demonstrate in your dissertation. For example, your results section will include the final results from your analysis (i.e., the results of a Mann-Whitney test, themes that emerged from the qualitative data) – here in the appendix, we expect to see an example of the process you followed to reach those specific results. This should include:

o 1. A selection of your Python/SPSS output tables

o 2. A screenshot of samples of coded text

o 3 .Your  codebook from NVivo.

This will not count towards the wordcount.

o NOTE: you do not have to use the software we used in class, although we recommend that given you’ve been introduced to it. So if you decide to run descriptive statistics in Excel or code by hand, that is fine – please just provide an appropriate screenshot or photograph in the appendix.

o NOTE: if you are using software, please ensure that the screenshots show the software in English.

You can add sub-headings to some of the sections in your essay. For example, if you are reporting the literature review structured by themes, and/or analyse the data themes, you can have sub-headings by theme.

· We advise you look at different published articles in the literature for illustration and guidance on how to structure your essay. Examples are given in Minerva.

Formal requirements

· Word length: 3,000 words max, plus 200 word abstract (3,200 words in total), excluding references, title, and text in tables or graphs. Word count penalties as stated in the module handbook apply. Include the word count on the first page of the essay.

o Different papers may have different structures, so we are not prescribing word counts per section. However, the balance of marks (see table below) should give some indication of how to divide up your paper. For example, you might spend 700 words on the introduction and literature review, 600 words on methods, 600 on results, 600 on discussion and conclusion.

· The results section should include tables and graphs/figures as appropriate to your data analysis.

· Include evidence of your analysis in an Appendix (maximum 4 pages):

o 1. A selection of your Python/SPSS output tables

o 2. A screenshot of samples of coded text

o 3 .Your  codebook from NVivo.

· It is very important that you include your student ID, BOTH on the first page of the file and in the file name. E.g. 1234567800_essay.docx. Not doing so slows down the marking process very much and can delay the releasing of marks.

Assessment criteria

This assignment makes up 100% of your mark for the resit.  

While this assessment is framed around adaptation to flooding and you will need to demonstrate knowledge of the topic to inform. the research question, the assessment’s goal is to test your knowledge of the process of research and your implementation of research skills.

You will be assessed according to the following assessment criteria:

Assessment element	Proportion of mark
Topic formulation and essay structure	10%
Identification and justification of research gap and research question
Clarity of aims and objectives
Background Context	20%
Awareness of literature
Critical understanding of literature and wider context
Methodology/Research Design	10%
Evidence of understanding of the mixed methods research design
Skill in selecting the correct statistical techniques
Clarity in analytical approach
Analysis of Findings	20%
Presence of descriptive statistics
Presence of inferential statistics
Presence of qualitative analysis
Skill in analysis of quantitative results
Skill in analysis of qualitative results
Skill in integrating quantitative and qualitative results
Understanding of significance of data analysis
Interpretation and Conclusions	20%
Interpretation of results through integration with existing literature
Consciousness of limitations
Robustness of conclusions
Presentation	10%
Written style/clarity of expression
Referencing system and coherent referencing
Spelling, grammar and layout
Structure, coherence and flow

If you have questions about the essay please use the discussion board on Minerva, not email (unless your question is confidential).