Literature Review

The coursework for this module will help to develop your skills in finding and critically analysing information that you find in the literature or using on-line resources, this will provide a sound basis for the independent research that you will do as part of your final year project. The second piece of coursework for this module requires you to find and analyse the information relating to the clinical use of your given drug (this is the same drug that you used for coursework 1).
You should write an essay entitled:
“Should [Enoxaparin] be prescribed in preference to other available drugs for the treatment of [Deep Vein Thrombosis]?”
To conduct this review students are expected to use high quality resources for their research. Assessing quality of resources is covered as part of the report on “E-resources – use and assessment” and students should refer to the information gained through the related workshops when ascertaining which resources to use for this exercise. Each student will be allocated an individual drug which they investigate for both coursework exercises. Some drugs may be well-established treatments whereas others may be new to the market. Students are expected to research the use and properties of their given drug and make an assessment of how useful the drug is in comparison to other drugs available for treating the same condition. Where a drug is used to treat more than one condition, the student may select any one of the known therapeutic uses.
The literature review essay is divided into five sections with marks allocated as follows
1.    [30%] Discuss the clinical use and mode of action of the drug and provide a comparison to alternative drugs used for the same therapeutic indication*. Students should find information on the therapeutic application of their drug and how it works to treat the condition. The mode of action and efficacy of the drug should be compared to other drugs used to treat the same condition.

2.    [30%] Discuss the side-effect profile of the drug and provide a comparison with the side effect profile of other drugs used to treat the same condition*. In particular note if there are specific contra-indications for use of the drug (e.g. for the elderly, for children or those with impaired renal or hepatic function etc).

3.    [10%] Discuss pertinent formulation issues for the drug. For example, is it known to be stable or unstable, does it have specific storage requirements? Are there different formulations available? Is the drug usually prescribed in a simple and convenient dosage form for the patient?

4.    [20%] Use the information obtained for sections 1 – 4 above to provide a reasoned argument as to whether [your drug] should be given in preference to other drugs on the market for treating the same condition*. This should summarise the key points from the previous sections and be written in good scientific English.

5.    [10%]  Marks will be awarded for ensuring good quality reference sources have been used to obtain the information for this essay and for recording all references correctly (i.e. according to the guidelines given in the E-resources use and assessment workshop. You should use the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology format for citing references)

*If information on other drugs for treating the same condition is not available, the essay should discuss these points in general terms e.g. what is the societal need for such a drug? Does the drug have a good or poor side-effect profile in general terms? Please ask for help if you are unsure.

The word limit for the essay is 1500 words (excluding references). You must state the word count (excluding references). 20 marks will be deducted for essays that exceed the word limit.

This essay contributes 20% of the total mark for this module.

Literature review

Order Description

First, I needed to identify an area of research focus for your planned “virtual” (you won’t be carrying out the research yourself) Action Learning Project and have this confirmed individually with your tutor

MY AREA OF FOCUS IS AS FOLLOWS:
How effective is integrating independent reading from the ‘class library’ as part of a 15 minute daily literacy rotation in developing fluency and intonation in students who are reading below the national level in grade 1, as measured by using a multidimensional fluency scale and informal observation over a 10 week period?

Second, complete the literature search related to the focus area you have chosen. You will be helped through some of these techniques through online tutorials on Curtin Library Research Engines. Review the resources discovered and select between 12-15 sources that are most pertinent or relevant to your area of focus. Before you begin to read a book, article, report, online material …… make sure you have written down the full details for your List of References. Take notes as you read the literature. You are reading to find out how each piece of writing approaches the subject of your research, what it has to say about it and how each piece contributes to “ informing” you how you, as a teacher-researcher, might go about researching your topic.

Finally, write a review of these sources – this is the Literature Review. Like all academic writing, a literature review must have an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction should include:

the nature of the focus area under review
the basis for your selection of the literature sources
The body paragraphs could include relevant paragraphs on:

definitions you found useful
current key research studies
principal questions that are being asked by previous researchers
some current findings about your focus area
research methodologies and data collection methods that have been used by other researchers
The conclusion should include:

a summary of major agreements and disagreements about the focus area.
a summary of general conclusions that are being drawn
Your work should be approximately (but no more than) 2500 words. Cover Page and the List of References are not included
in the word count.

Literature review

Order Description

First, I needed to identify an area of research focus for your planned “virtual” (you won’t be carrying out the research yourself) Action Learning Project and have this confirmed individually with your tutor

MY AREA OF FOCUS IS AS FOLLOWS:
How effective is integrating independent reading from the ‘class library’ as part of a 15 minute daily literacy rotation in developing fluency and intonation in students who are reading below the national level in grade 1, as measured by using a multidimensional fluency scale and informal observation over a 10 week period?

Second, complete the literature search related to the focus area you have chosen. You will be helped through some of these techniques through online tutorials on Curtin Library Research Engines. Review the resources discovered and select between 12-15 sources that are most pertinent or relevant to your area of focus. Before you begin to read a book, article, report, online material …… make sure you have written down the full details for your List of References. Take notes as you read the literature. You are reading to find out how each piece of writing approaches the subject of your research, what it has to say about it and how each piece contributes to “ informing” you how you, as a teacher-researcher, might go about researching your topic.

Finally, write a review of these sources – this is the Literature Review. Like all academic writing, a literature review must have an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction should include:

the nature of the focus area under review
the basis for your selection of the literature sources
The body paragraphs could include relevant paragraphs on:

definitions you found useful
current key research studies
principal questions that are being asked by previous researchers
some current findings about your focus area
research methodologies and data collection methods that have been used by other researchers
The conclusion should include:

a summary of major agreements and disagreements about the focus area.
a summary of general conclusions that are being drawn
Your work should be approximately (but no more than) 2500 words. Cover Page and the List of References are not included
in the word count.