Dental Public Health MDPH Dissertation module (DS53002)
Undertake a substantial independent dissertation in dental public health, developing advanced research, critical appraisal and academic writing skills at SCQF level 11
The dissertation is the defining element of Dental Public Health MDPH, and the culmination of your academic and professional development on the course. You will define a focused research question, design a study using appropriate methods, conduct the research and analyse your data, before presenting your findings in a dissertation structured to conventional scientific standards.
You will be allocated an academic supervisor who will work closely with you throughout the project. Formative feedback is provided through regular supervision meetings. If your study requires ethical or NHS approval, you will need to plan ahead to ensure this is secured within the time available.
What you will learn
In this module, you will learn:
- How to define a focused dental public health research question and design a rigorous study to address it.
- How to conduct a thorough literature search using Medline and other databases, and critically appraise the evidence.
- How to conduct a study to a high standard, minimise sources of error and present results with appropriate conclusions.
- How to write a dissertation following conventional scientific structure
- How to manage ethical and professional responsibilities in research, including obtaining ethical and NHS approvals where required.
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in dental public health.
- Evaluate methodologies, develop critiques of them and where appropriate propose new hypotheses.
- Demonstrate understanding of the ethical and professional challenges of research in dental public health.
- Design and conduct a study that addresses a dental public health question using appropriate and replicable methods.
- Exercise substantial autonomy and initiative throughout an extended independent piece of academic work
Assignments / assessments
Dissertation (100%)
- An independent research dissertation following a conventional scientific structure.
This module does not have a final exam. You might however be required to undergo a viva voce examination at the discretion of the external examiner or the Examination Board.
Teaching methods / timetable
- Individual supervision with regular feedback via face-to-face meetings and email.
- Self-directed reading and literature searching, supported by recommended reading lists.
- Independent conduct of research, data analysis and write-up.
Courses
This module is available on the following courses: