This course will introduce students to both the theories and practice of research, with a specific emphasis on research in the health arena. Students will learn techniques for identifying a topic for inquiry, reviewing the literature using systematic search techniques, identifying evidence gaps and formulating an answerable research question. The course is designed to help students learn the practical skills of protocol development, including foundational knowledge of sampling, recruitment, data collection and analysis as well as evaluation. In addition, the role of theory, ethics and rigour in research planning and implementation will be introduced, with a particular focus on data management. Maintenance of ethical standards and rigour throughout the research process will be presented in detail. The value and limitations of research results as evidence will also be examined. Students will be introduced to the ways in which disciplinary knowledge is necessary to produce valued evidence, and how and when some research questions will require a transdisciplinary approach that is beyond disciplinary silos and associated models of research.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Describe the different research traditions used in disciplines associated with health research;
2. Analyse a health problem, and develop an answerable research question by conducting an appropriate systematic review of the literature to identify what is known what are the gaps in current knowledge;
3. Develop a research protocol by applying appropriate sampling, data collection and analysis strategies;
4. Describe and recognise ethical dilemmas associated with planning and executing morally responsible research;
5. Explain why some research questions may need a transdisciplinary approach.

Research-Led Teaching

All lecturers will make use of evidence drawn from relevant disciplinary research to benefit student learning and outcomes. Some may share their own research findings with students. This will provide students with special insights into the specific topics discussed. Having access to lecturers who are also key leaders in the field may mean that the listed lecture sequence, that is, the lecture topics may change to another week in order to accommodate access to these experts.

Additional Course Costs

N/A

Examination Material or equipment

Students will be notified of the resources required for the end of semester examination.

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the Semester 2 examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable"

Required Resources

Required readings and other resources will be listed or uploaded on the LMS throughout the course. These will be provided for each session (lectures and tutorials).

Recommended Resources

Students will need to access online readings and resources.

Recommended student system requirements 

ANU outlines Recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments on assignments.
• Verbal comments.
• Feedback to the whole class.
• To groups; and
• To individuals.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Please note that lecture topics and/or dates on which they are listed may change due to availability of guest lecturers - you will be notified if this is the case.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction	Pre-reading online exercises
2	From Research question to....?	Pre-reading online exercises
3	Design and data collection: Questionnaires	Pre-reading online exercises
4	Design and data collection: Ethnography	Pre-reading online exercises
5	Design and data collection: Interviews	Pre-reading online exercisesPractice questions in preparation for the Week 6 quiz
6	Design and data collection: Focus groups	Pre-reading online exercisesWeek 6 Quiz (10%) will take place in your tutorial session
7	Data Analysis: Qualitative Data Analysis Strategies	Pre-reading online exercisesSubmission of Systematic Literature Review21 September 11:59pm
8	Clinical Trials: Interventions	Pre-reading online exercises
9	Data Analysis: Descriptive Statistics	Pre-reading online exercises
10	Data Analysis: Inferential Statistics	Pre-reading online exercisesSubmission of Research Protocol (25%) 12 October 2025 11:59pm
11	Design, Collection and Analysis: Mixed Methods	Pre-reading online exercises
12	Revision	Revision and Practice Exam

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable. To enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities/labs/tutorials. This enables students to better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Weekly Tutorial Reading	10 %	*	*	1,2,4
Progressive Summative Assessment	10 %	*	15/09/2025	1,2,3,4
Systematic Literature Review	25 %	21/09/2025	11/10/2025	1,2,4,5
Research Protocol	25 %	12/10/2025	30/10/2025	1,2,3,4,5
End of Semester examination	30 %	*	*	1,2,3,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students will be participating in discussions and other activities during class time. You will also be undertaking readings prior to lectures and/or tutorials which provide vital foundations for class content and activities. Lectures, tutorials and readings and any other resources together will provide foundations for understanding key concepts and skills related to the course. It is important to enrich your engagement to enable optimal learning throughout the course. As such, students are expected to attend and participate in all aspects of the course to support their learning as well as ensuring reading is completed each week.

Examination(s)

The examination is comprehensive and can address any aspect of the 12 week curriculum and associated independent study requirements.

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the Semester 2 examination period. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable"

End of semester course results are released on ISIS.

Assessment Task 1

Weekly Tutorial Reading

Pre-reading online exercises: Readings and assessment templates will be uploaded on the LMS weekly. Please check the LMS site regularly

Students are expected to complete pre-reading and contribute to class discussion on on-going basis throughout the semester.

Value: 10%

Submission date: The date range for this task comprises 11 weeks of semester

Word count: See the LMS for details.

Return date: Feedback will be provided weekly.

Assessment Task 2

Progressive Summative Assessment

This is a quiz using multiple-choice questions. It takes place in Week 6 and covers materials (lectures, tutorials and readings) from Weeks 1-5 inclusive.

Practice questions will be provided in Week 5 tutorials

Value: 10%

Assessment date: Week 6. See LMS for details

Return date: Approximately 2-3 weeks after the assessment date

Assessment Task 3

Systematic Literature Review

Instructions regarding the literature review will be available from the LMS site and will be discussed in classes. Briefly this task will include learning about: development of a viable research question; making appropriate choices of databases to be searched; development of an appropriate search strategy, use of Covidence, development of a PRISMA diagram, development of results/extraction tables, analysis of results and reporting on the process.

Value: 25%

Submission date: 21 September 2025 11.59 PM. Your literature review must be submitted through Turnitin.

Word count: See the LMS for details.

Return date: Approximately 2-3 weeks after the submission date

Assessment Task 4

Research Protocol

Instructions regarding the research protocol will be available on the LMS site and will be discussed in classes. The gap or research question that is an outcome of completion of the literature review assignment will be used as the initiating research question for the protocol.

Value: 25%

Submission date: 12 October 2025 11.59 PM. Your research protocol must be submitted through Turnitin.

Word count: See the LMS for details.

Return date: Approximately 2-3 weeks after the submission date

Assessment Task 5

End of Semester examination

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the Semester 2 examination period. It will examine Weeks 1-12 of the course. Students must be on campus to attend the exam.

A practice exam will be conducted in Week 12 tutorials to support students preparing for the final end-of-semester exam

Value: 30%

Examination date: Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable"

Return date: End of semester course marks are released on ISIS.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

Assignments are required to be submitted electronically via the Turnitin link attached to the LMS site and will be returned approximately two to three weeks after the submission date.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students