SH4011 Research and Academic Practice SH4011 Assessment Brief Name of assessment : Reflective Research Diary
Short Description You will write a 2000 words reflective research diary documenting your research interests, aspirations, and academic growth, demonstrating engagement and laying the foundation for your research pathway. You should explain your reflections with reference to the methodological literature, studies you have encountered in the course of the module, and so on. What have you concluded about the kinds of research that interests you, and why?
Weighting: 60
Final Submission due date: Friday July 3rd, 2026 at 3PM
Feedback release date: tbc
Assessment Guidance You will write a 2000 words reflective research diary documenting your research interests, aspirations, and academic growth, demonstrating engagement and laying the foundation for your research pathway. You should explain your reflections with reference to the methodological literature, studies you have encountered in the course of the module, and so on. What have you concluded about the kinds of research that interests you, and why? Submit via Turnitin
Suggested Structure
- Introduction to the piece of work.
- Early Days – Discuss what your view of research was before beginning the module.
- What Have I learned? Discuss what you have learned through the module about research and about your own interests.
- The Future – Discuss what your plans for future are: in your second and third years, what kind of research will you want to explore more? What research methodologies do you want to learn more about?
- Conclusion.
Tips This is a personal and reflective document, but you still need to refer to literature it should be informed reflection, not just baseless assertion. Use this as an opportunity to show what you have learned. For example, when you refer to ‘quantitative research’, make sure to define what this means. What you write about your future path does not commit you to anything, so feel free to explore different ideas. A good percentage of the grade depends on knowledge of research approaches and methodology so make sure informed discussion of these feature prominently. Knowledge – This criterion assesses your knowledge of research approaches and methodologies. It depends on accurate description of these.
Critical understanding – This criterion assesses your depth of understanding of research, and its methodologies. Top marks are awarded for critical engagements that engage with debates around the merits and demerits of different approaches.
Critical Reflection – This criterion assesses how well you critically reflect on your own learning and points of view.
Structure, standards and communication– This criterion assesses your written communication, the structure of your work, and your adherence to academic standards such as referencing.
Rationale For This Assessment Method This method assesses student progress on the following learning outcomes:
- Recognise and describe core conceptual distinctions in research (qualitative vs quantitative, primary vs secondary, etc)
- Find, read and draw on academic and non-academic sources
- Summarise core elements of a published research paper and their applicability to health and social practice
- Reference research according to academic norms