1. Demonstrate the ability to devise, plan and execute extended independent work

2. Critically assess the topic in the context of previous work, ethics and current literature.

3. Analyse data critically and draw justified conclusions

4. Demonstrate skills in the writing of a coherent and structured report and defend its contents under oral examination.

5. Critically review your own performance and success in meeting the project’s aims

The following elements allow the student to demonstrate their development throughout the module.

1. A research project proposal (1,250 words) outlining initial ideas on the project which should contain a summary of the background to the topic, an initial plan of work with appropriate risk assessment and ethics considerations (10%), addressing outcomes 1, 2.

2. A reflective workbook showing weekly progress throughout the project and how idea have evolved on the basis of results obtained and how the student has developed themselves through the project duration (10%), addressing outcomes 1, 5

3. A viva-voce examination (10%) including a question and answer session on the project showing an appreciation of its findings and significance in a wider context, addressing outcomes 4 and 5.

4. A written report (10,000 words) detailing the background, methodology, experimental programme, results and discussion and conclusions and recommendations for further work, (70%) addressing outcomes 1-5.

You will devise, plan, execute and report on a substantial piece of independent work in policing or criminal investigation or a related aspect. The topic should be something which is aligned with the course and of interest to the student, and will need to be agreed with an academic supervisor. The project will be in the nature of primary or secondary research and will entail you accessing or collecting information from disparate sources concerning your allocated case study. It will require you to source your literature from a variety of sources to inform your project, design a piece of research, collect primary or secondary data using systematic methods, and critically evaluate all the data which you have assembled; drawing appropriate conclusions and recommendations. In all cases, the project should reflect the investigative and forensic nature base of the Policing and Criminal Investigation award. The topic will not normally overlap significantly with other independent work at level 6. The module will allow you to develop skills in defending your work through a viva-voce examination. You will need to select, deploy and adapt techniques, critically interpret and evaluate data, and present your findings both in writing and orally.

This module provides students with the opportunity to devise, plan, execute and report on a substantial piece of independent work in policing or criminal investigation or a related aspect. The module requires students to source literature from a variety of sources to inform their project, design a piece of research, collect primary or secondary data using systematic methods, and critically evaluate all the data which have been assembled, drawing appropriate conclusions and recommendations. This is the culmination of the learning and skills acquired from earlier stages of your degree and an opportunity for students to research a topic of their choosing that they are passionate about.

This module will be based around the independent work of the student. There will be minimal mandatory taught content during this module due to the nature of the work required, however, skills workshops will be conducted for students to attend if needed and students will be allocated a designated supervisor who will oversee the research project and provide support and guidance for the student.

The students will meet with their supervisor in a 2-hour tutorial session once every three weeks (PDP).

In addition to this, the students are advised to spend approximately 1-hour with their supervisor each month and meet with their supervisor at least once a month. The remaining time will be devoted to independent work to complete the programme established in the project proposal. Students should keep their supervisor up-to-date throughout their research and update their workbooks regularly to keep their supervisor informed.

Texts/Journals will need to be consulted in relation to the topic area of the project. General text recommended include:

Cottrell, S. (2014). Palgrave Study Skills. Dissertations and project reports: A step by step guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using SPSS. 5th ed. London: Sage Publications.

Greetham, B. (2014). Palgrave Study Skills. How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation. 2nd Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Knapp, H. (2017). Introductory Statistics Using SPSS. London: Sage Publications.

Lynda.com (2018). SPSS Statistics Essential Training. (Online) Available at: https://www.lynda.com/SPSS-tutorials/SPSS-Statistics-Essential-Training/182376-2.html?srchtrk=index%3a1%0alinktypeid%3a2%0aq%3aspss%0apage%3a1%0as%3arelevance%0asa%3atrue%0aproducttypeid%3a2

Pallant, S. (2016). SPSS survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS. 6th ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill.

Silverman, D. (2017). Doing Qualitative Research. 5th Ed. London: Sage Publications

Silverman, D. (2015). Interpreting Qualitative Data. 5th Ed. London: Sage Publications

Staffordshire University. (2018). Academic Study Skills: Dissertation. (Online). Available at: http://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/dissertation.

Wisker, G. (2009). Palgrave Study Skills. The Undergraduate Research Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Well-resourced library (physical and online).
Blackboard VLE
Academic skills support team
Dedicated supervisor

Must have studied L5 Research Methods