The primary aim of BIOL0044 is to enable students to undertake an analysis of the published literature on a specified topic with one-to-one supervision by an academic from the Department of GEE (UCL), its associated departments (UCL) and affiliated Institutions. The module will prepare 3rd year MSci students for their subsequent final year research project, in particular the necessary skills in reviewing the scientific literature, evaluating published data and writing in the style of a scientific article. BIOL0044 projects will usually involve an extensive literature review component but, depending on the agreed format with the supervisor, could also include activities such as data analysis (e.g. meta-analysis of published data, statistical, bioinformatics, modelling) or the design of an overall experimental plan (e.g. design of experimental protocols and costing of experimental equipment and resources). These projects will not involve day-by-day working in a laboratory environment but you may attend group meetings and visit the laboratory. This can help provide a context for the research papers you will be reviewing. This module does not have lectures beyond an introductory lecture, and a ‘how to write up your project’ lecture.

Learning Objectives

Guided by your supervisor, you will learn how to:

Identify a scientific research topic that is suitable for review or further analysis
	Search databases for scholarly articles relevant to your project
	Collate, summarise and critically evaluate research findings from the primary research literature and reviews
	Understand the principles of experimental design and the different research techniques/methodologies
	Present a structured written report following a specified format
	Give an oral presentation and respond to questions in a conference-style setting
To meet the requirements of BIOL0044, your project must have at least one of the following features:

A focus on an emerging topic, which has not been reviewed in the literature
	A meta-analysis of published data or unpublished data generated by the host laboratory
	A formal systemic review (for example, of clinical trials)
	Inter-disciplinarity
Please note that you will be asked to indicate preferred topics from the list provided by the Project Tutor. The Project Tutor, in conjunction with the allocation committee, will then assign specific projects within these topics. Guidance on selecting topics will be available from the 3rd Year Tutor and the Project Tutor. Once you have been assigned , you are encouraged to discuss the format and focus of your project with your supervisor. It may be an option for you to design your own project with a supervisor of your choice at UCL. Projects cannot be designed with supervisors from other Universities. All projects must be agreed by the Project Tutor.