Admission requirements
Mandatory Master courses, Junior Research Project I or II.
Description
A scientific review is an academic paper that provides a critique of relevant literature published on your field of investigation. Although a review uses no new data, it still provides an academic contribution through the interpretations made and the conclusions drawn. A good review provides a comprehensive summary of that field (comprehensive but not exhaustive- it should not become a textbook chapter). It demonstrates knowledge of and insight into relevant research done in the field. As well as describing research done, the review also provides a critique- a discussion of relevant debates, contradictory results, and disputed theoretical approaches. The review should identify key and innovative research and, where relevant, weaknesses in studies. The review should, in a well argued and substantiated manner, include the writer’s own evaluation, interpretation and conclusions.
Course objectives
The student has:
written a well-structured paper, suitable for publication in a scientific journal;
communicated ideas in a logical, well argued manner;
demonstrated understanding of and insight into the subject area;
identified and cited key contributors to the field;
recognized the current state of research in the field (frontier of science);
identified major debates e.g. conflicting theories/ contradictory findings;
demonstrated critical engagement with the subject through presenting own opinion/ interpretation using well-substantiated argumentation
Mode of instruction
Independent writing of a review with guidance and corrections by the scientific supervisor(s) and by Communication in Science tutors.
Assessment method
The Scientific review is assessed by the supervisor and an independent reviewer (90% of the grade) on the following criteria:
-meets the criteria for a scientific review
-understanding of the underlying scientific question(s)
-use of the literature
-insight into and understanding of the literature
-relevance
-structure
And by CIS (10% of the grade), on the following criteria:
-format: review is clearly structured
-use of language: clarity, readability and effectiveness
-use of language: word choice, grammatical accuracy, spelling
Remarks
For students in the de Research specialization this literature review (mandatory part of their master’s programme) should provide a critical discussion on a subject surrounding the research of JRP-I or JRP-II.
For students in other biomedical specializations this literature review may be included as an elective course and should preferably be linked to a subject surrounding JRP-I (or JRP-II in case of Health). A subject not related to an internship is also allowed.
Four weeks before the end of the internship, the student and project coordinator decide on the subject of the Scientific Review. The subject should be related to, but not identical to the subject of the internship (For more info see Blackboard). Approval for the subject is asked by sending the Review approval form (downloadable from Blackboard by the student) to the Directorate of Education via research-project@lumc.nl, with a cc to the project coordinator.