PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Assessment 001: Research Proposal

Requirements for Assessment 001

This assessment is designed to help you develop a robust and realistic research proposal,
which can be used as your Research Project topic. However, if your supervisor does not
think that the project you have designed is feasible, you will need to work with them to
develop it further.
1. Suitability for a BIOL Research Project: The research project you design should comply
with BIOL regulations relating to Research Projects. There is a folder on Blackboard which
relates to the Research Project, including the current Research Project guide, which gives
you this information. We also discuss what is expected in a BIOL Research Project in this
module.
2. Must collect data and test a statistical hypothesis: For this assessment, you should
develop a research project that involves the collection and analysis of data and the testing of
statistical hypotheses. For some students, this may mean that the Research Project you
would like to carry out in the third/final year does not meet this requirement. For example,
some biochemical and molecular projects do not involve testing statistical hypotheses. If this
is the case, you may be able to adapt the description of your chosen project so that you can
create some numerical data for your research proposal, e.g., pretend that you will perform
cloning/binding experiments multiple times and measure the density of DNA/protein bands
on a gel. If your project is not easy to adapt in this way, it is recommended that you design a
research proposal around a different method that encompasses these statistical
requirements, but within your chosen research area, so that you can develop an
understanding of the (background) topic.
3. The format: For assessment 001, we require you to complete the following sections 1-12.
We have given guidance for each section and will discuss these in class in a number of
different sessions. You must use the headings given below; the markers may deduct marks
if you do not do so.

The marking rubric for this assessment is also provided in the module handbook.

Common problems we have observed in the past with these proposals are that they
were too limited in scope, not at the correct level, not feasible, too expensive, would
take too long to complete, did not have the equipment, were not ethical. Refer to the
BIOL guide to Research Projects for further information or seek tutorial support.
Academic staff may deduct marks if your project is not suitable for a BIOL Research Project.

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Please complete the following sections:

1. Give the Proposed Investigation a Title (2 marks)

The research proposal should have a title. Your title should reflect the aim and design of your project.
It should be succinct.

2. Introduction (10 marks)

Include a brief introduction, 3 – 5 paragraphs in length. The introduction should present an overview
of the relevant background and a clear rationale for the aim(s).

3. What is the Aim(s) of the Investigation? (2 marks)

State your aim(s). The aim(s) is a general statement of your intent. Your aim(s) should clearly convey
what you intend to do.

4. List the Objectives (4 marks)

List your objective(s). The objectives must be experimental objectives rather than personal objectives.
They should relate to the aim(s), each experiment as outlined in the method and reflect what you will
measure. (You will find it easier to write your objective(s) once you have completed the rest of the
Research Proposal).

5. The Method(s) (22 marks)

Outline your method(s) in full, citing references to demonstrate where the information has been
derived from and additional comments to show how you have developed this method(s). You will also
be assessed on whether you have:
a. identified potential causes of confounding variation and indicated how you can minimise the effect
b. included any relevant controls
c. understood the need for replication and have included appropriate replication in your study
d. have understood the samples within your design and the best approach to take to obtain these
samples.

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Comments: The method(s) should be suitable to test the aim(s) and be reflected in the objectives. The
method(s) should include details about techniques to be used, numbers of samples, replicates, etc.
The method(s) should be able to be carried out without further development.

You may ‘control’ the confounding variables by keeping them constant across your experiment. When
researchers talk about ‘controls’, however, they mean something different. Controls are used to either
establish a base line or provide an internal check that your experiment is working correctly. For
example, when we have taught you how to carry out PCR, you included samples with no DNA and
with no primers to make sure there was no contamination.

Sources of confounding variation can be identified through common sense, experience and your
reading of other studies and seeing what they have done. Common approaches to minimising the
effect of confounding variables is through keeping them constant, randomisation or replication. You
should consider this for each of the confounding variables you have identified. Sampling error is also
a source of confounding variation.

Using replicates in an experiment achieves a number of things. Firstly, it allows you to gain a much
better estimate of the true population mean, secondly, it allows you to identify outliers, and thirdly, it
may allow you to calculate the impact of confounding variation in your experiment and allow for this in
your hypothesis testing. Choosing the correct number of replicates is determined by practicalities and
your choice of statistical test. There should be no pseudo-replication. Reading similar studies to the
one you are planning can also help you to select a suitable number of replicates.

Researchers are often aware that they sample volunteers or animals, but you may also sample
specific batches of consumables or other chemicals that you then use in your investigation. For
example, in a study of the effect of different household cleaners on the survivorship of several species
of bacteria, you will sample both the bottles of household cleaners and the stock of each species of
bacteria. For each you need to have considered a sampling strategy to ensure these are
representative and suitable for your statistical population.

You should demonstrate which sources you have used to plan your method(s) and what information
these sources have provided. A good answer will show how you have examined several methods and
why the one you have chosen is the most suitable for your aim(s). Your reading should provide you
with details such as concentrations, number of replicates, timings, etc. This supporting explanation
should be referenced correctly following the University of Worcester Harvard format.

You should highlight any reagents and/or consumables that you will need to purchase, so that
these can be cross-referenced against your budget

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8. ‘Mock’ Data (10 marks)
You should invent some data as though you had completed your investigation. The data should be
presented in a fully labelled table or tables with suitable headings. For some students you may be
collecting data in relation to several variables or a series of experiments and so need to produce mock
data for each aspect. Each mock data table should be annotated indicating whether the scales of
measurement are ordinal, interval or nominal. You need to label the variable(s), indicating which are
the treatment variables and which are the dependent and independent variable (if relevant). You
should include values for n and these should be the same as those indicated in your method. This is a
very valuable exercise as it ensures you have truly thought through what you are doing and
measuring and helps you when answering the questions below. Comments about variables are also
given below.

9. Which statistical test(s) will you use to analyse the data & why? (10 marks)
For each part of your investigation, you will need to state the statistical test(s) you will use. You should
then explain your choice(s) and relate these explanations to the mock data tables. You should also
confirm that as far as you can establish at this planning stage, you are likely to collect data that will
probably meet the criteria for the statistical test(s) you have selected. The criteria for choosing a
statistical test(s) are given in Chapter 7 of Holmes, Moody, Dine and Trueman (2017) and other
relevant statistics chapters. If you are carrying out several experiments or testing the effects of several
variables, you will need to do this for each part. You should refer to published research papers and
statistics books or online resources to help you complete this section. These sources should be cited
in your answer. (Do not use Wikipedia as it has recently been noticed that these pages contain
several errors).

11. Reference List and Separate Bibliography (8 marks)

A reference list based on the references cited at any point in this assessment should be included with
this assessment. These references are most likely to be included in the method(s) section, the
statistics test(s) section and the law section but may be included in other sections. The reference list
should be kept in a separate section (for this, have a page break: ctrl + enter), but it will not be
included in the word count. Additional resources that you have used but not cited in this assessment
may be listed in a separate bibliography. All reference citations should comply with the UW Harvard
format.

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