Minor Thesis Workshop

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School of Public Health (SPH)

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School of Public Health
La Trobe University
Victoria 3086
AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 3 9479 1750
Fax: +61 3 9479 1783
Email: sph
@latrobe.edu.au

School of Public Health

The paradox of the Minor Thesis is that while it is only worth 45 or 60 credit points (and so is minor in comparison to the Major Thesis of the Masters by Research or PhD) it actually involves all of the stages of a full research project and therefore involves acquiring many of the same skills in relation to each of those stages as does a major thesis but in half or one sixth the time! For this reason the minor thesis provides an intensive but quite far reaching introduction to the disciplines of research. If you think you might undertake research in the future this is a good place to start. However, unless you are full time and based in the School of Public Health the minor thesis can be a somewhat solitary experience.

The Minor Thesis Workshops are run at the city campus from 2.30 – 4.30 pm and provide an informal environment to share problems and successes ; to discuss research methods with other students and academics and to see yourself as part of the 'research community'. They are run bi-monthly throughout the year. All School of Public Health minor thesis students are encouraged to attend. They are designed to supplement (not substitute) your meetings with your supervisor.

Program

Thursday 17 September 2009 2.30 – 4.30 pm Room FS 230 (City Campus, Franklin Street)
Thursday 22 October 2009 2.30 – 4.30 pm Room FS 256 (City Campus, Franklin Street)

Indicative topics, discussed in previous years, include:

Qualitative methods in health research
Quantitative methods in health research
Gaining effective supervision
The literature review in the research process
Undergoing examination: characteristics of successful theses

Purpose

The purpose of the minor thesis is to develop the critical disciplines of research.

The objective of research is to engage with current practice and thinking and to critically reframe uncertainties as testable questions; by planning and undertaking data collection in ways which will throw light on the uncertainties; communicating the findings of such research. These are powerful disciplines that have application well beyond the work of career researchers.

Students will undertake substantive research that addresses significant public health questions. The thesis is required to be 12-15,000 words. Topics can encompass a wide range of health issues including those which arise in the course of public health practice. Methods of study may include historical analysis, policy analysis, theoretically-based studies as well as methods based on the collection and analysis of interview or survey data.

Choosing a topic

Consider the following questions:

intellectual interest (Can I sustain an interest in the topic long enough to complete the thesis?);
theoretical or practical relevance (What will it tell us that we don't already know?);
manageability (Can it be done in time?);
practicability (Can I get access to the kind of evidence that I would need?);
career relevance (Would this topic help to put in place the basis for possible next career moves, for example, doctoral study or specialisation within public health?).

Research Proposal

You will keep working and reworking this proposal during the course of your research; in fact you will only stop when you have finished your thesis. However, you must start somewhere and the research proposal is a good place to start. Aim for three to four pages including:

outline of general area of study;
rationale - why is it worth studying;
identification of theoretical / conceptual frameworks to be used as well as relevant bodies of literature;
sense of the problem;
methodology - how will the problem be investigated and why is this the best design, all things considered;
expected findings; and
timetable.

You have to show:

you understand the field;
you intend to address a problem of practical and/or theoretical significance;
you are using an appropriate theoretical framework for conceptualising the problem;
you are relating your thinking and your intentions to other relevant research findings in the field;
the research method is appropriate to the problem;
the design as outlined can produce a piece of research which is scientifically convincing.

In many cases it is useful to build your early research planning around your submission for ethics approval. The application for ethics approval covers most of the key sections that are required for the research proposal and the requirement to demonstrate that you will be conforming to ethical and privacy guidelines provides a useful discipline for your research planning.

Style and Presentation

The university has specific requirements with respect to style and presentation which must be followed, these are detailed in the following document.

Bibliographic Software

It will save hours if you start your bibliographic files in the correct format from the start. Consider procuring a bibliographic application such as Endnote.

Assessment

Dissertations will be assessed by two examiners, one of whom will be external to La Trobe University. The information that they receive as criteria against which to examine and report is as follows:

In the thesis the candidate is required to show ability to conduct a research program and a command of the knowledge and skills pertinent to the area of investigation and where appropriate to demonstrate a critical appreciation and understanding of the relationship of their her own work to that of others.

The illustrative material in the thesis shall be presented in a clear and informative manner and the spelling, grammar, punctuation and expression shall be clear and in accordance with accepted usage.

The minor thesis is not expected to be as broad in scope as a major thesis generated by a candidate undertaking a Masters degree wholly by research as it is produced as part of a wider program of postgraduate studies. It should however, provided evidence to the examiner that the candidate is able to contribute to the literature of the discipline or field of study in which he or she is studying.

The minor thesis may be but is not necessarily a contribution to new knowledge in the sense of reaching conclusions that have a wider ranging application (eg testing a general hypothesis or theory) . It should however, be an original contribution - for example a critical review of work in the area, or a critical account and analysis of practice in the field - or a properly conducted but small scale investigation which arises from a practical or theoretical problem. The candidate should be able to demonstrate that he or she can place the work for the thesis in its context, can clearly outline and define its underlying assumptions, and can give definition and boundaries to the particular work.

Enrolment and Submission Deadlines

The MHSc thesis requirement is 60 credit points for four standard coursework subject equivalents. The MPH thesis requirement is set at 45 credit points or three standard coursework subject equivalents.

Students enrolling for the first time should use the PHE5THA and PHE5THB subject codes (for first and second semester enrolments respectively). Re-enrolling thesis students should enrol in PHE5THC, and PHE5THD.

Theses cannot be submitted if a student is not enrolled in a thesis subject during the semester of submisssion.

Students enrolled in a thesis subject in first semester have until the HECS Census date of the following semester (second) to submit (31 August). Students enrolled in a thesis subject in second semester have until the HECS Census date of first semester the following year to submit (31 March).

Check these dates with the administrator if it looks like you might go over the deadline. Note that you need to submit a "Notice of intention to submit" one month before you submit your thesis.

You should contact the coordinator of minor thesis research if you are have further questions or need help.

Thesis Research Opportunities

Students who have not yet settled upon a research topic are advised to consider selecting a topic which lies within one of the areas of active research within the School and affiliated centres.

Students looking for possible research topics may scan the list of the research interests of staff of the School and visit the websites of the Centre for the Study of Mothers' and Children's Health and the Australian Research Centre in Health Sex and Society and the Australian Institute for Primary Care.

There are many advantages of working in association with an existing group of researchers.

Forms and Guidelines

Progress with your Thesis

We need to know how you are going, whether or not you choose to participate in the Minor Thesis Workshop.

Please advise the administrator of any changes to your Topic or your Supervisor and of Progress on the Thesis generally.

In particular please keep us informed of any change in your email address and other contact details so that we can keep you informed of what is scheduled.