This module involves the design, implementation and delivery of a research project which may take place either in the UK or abroad in an approved academic or other institution. The project builds on several prior core modules (the precise ones will depend on the topic under study) and also on the critical appraisal skills developed in the PHAY0013 Options. The School has a mature and well-established range of overseas partners and an effective system of quality control and student support is in place to ensure that those who chose to study abroad can do so in a safe and supportive environment. The projects may be laboratory based (the majority) or may be data/literature/theory based (such as the conduction of a meta-analysis). Each student will have an individual project and be assessed individually, although students may be "clustered" around a research theme and share some working practices depending on the availability of equipment or commonality of research objectives. In addition, the students will conduct an Integrated Therapeutics wiki project whereby information previously taught on allocated topics within the MPharm course will be brought together into a wiki-style format with hyperlinks which will present all the pertinent information in a continuous and contextualised format. Each student will present an individual concept map that focusses on their allocated topics and selecting further relevant topics from the joint wiki to illustrate integration between disciplines within pharmacy.

Syllabus

The project does not have a fixed syllabus as such due to the variable nature of the content, but the following themes are common to all.

Literature searching into the research field surrounding the topic and the preparation of a brief background report (formative).
	Initial training in research techniques and methodologies.
	For laboratory-based projects, best laboratory practice including laboratory safety.
	Acquisition of data or equivalent information.
	Data analysis and evaluation.
	Compilation of a portfolio outlining progress through the project.
	Presentation of key data in a poster conference.
	Presentation of key data as a research paper.
	Development of 5 different wiki pages each to present what a pharmacist should know about 5 allocated topics taught in the MPharm degree, and how these topics link to other relevant topics taught.
	Presentation of a concept map of 70 topics from the wiki linked with reasons and focussed around the 5 allocated topics to demonstrate an integrated understanding between the different disciplines within pharmacy.