Research Handbook

for Family Therapy

MSc Students
 Research Handbook

This handbook has been designed to provide students and supervisors with details of the
research component of the Family Therapy MSc programme at the Institute of Psychiatry. It
aims to give an overview of the research teaching and the requirements of MSc dissertations
and to provide step-by-step guidance of the process of conducting an original research study.

Contents
1. What Does the Research Component Involve? ....................................................................... 2
2. Requirements of the Dissertation ........................................................................................... 3
3. Roles of those Involved in the Programme ............................................................................. 4
4. Supervision .............................................................................................................................. 5
4.1 Responsibilities of the supervisor ...................................................................................... 5
4.2 Responsibilities of the student .......................................................................................... 5
4.3 Joint Responsibilities.......................................................................................................... 6
4.4 What to do if theres a problem? ...................................................................................... 6
5. Conducting an original Research Study: Overview .................................................................. 6
6. Conducting an original Research Study: Step-by-Step Guidance ........................................... 6
6.1 Research questions, aims and hypotheses ........................................................................ 6
6.2 Literature searching ........................................................................................................... 7
6.3 Methods ............................................................................................................................. 8
6.4 Participants ...................................................................................................................... 10
7. Writing a protocol .................................................................................................................. 11
7.1 What is a study protocol? ................................................................................................ 11
7.2 What is the protocol used for? ........................................................................................ 11
7.3 What should the protocol include? ................................................................................. 11
8. Ethical approval .................................................................................................................... 12
8.1 Deciding where to submit for ethical approval ............................................................... 13
8.2 Step-by-step guide to submitting an ethics application .................................................. 14
9. Data Collection and Storage .................................................................................................. 18
10. Data Analysis........................................................................................................................ 18
11. Writing up ............................................................................................................................ 18

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 11. 1 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 19
11.2 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 19
11.3 Method .......................................................................................................................... 19
11.4 Results............................................................................................................................ 20
11.5 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 20
11.6 Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 20
11.7 References ..................................................................................................................... 20
11.8 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 20
11.9 General tips on writing up ............................................................................................. 21
11.10 Plagiarism and how to avoid it .................................................................................... 21
11.11 Presentation ................................................................................................................ 22
12. An examiners thoughts about MSc Dissertations............................................................... 22
12.1 General Points ............................................................................................................... 22
12.2 Introduction/Literature review...................................................................................... 23
12.3 Method section.............................................................................................................. 23
12.4 Results............................................................................................................................ 24
12.5 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 25
13. Time management ............................................................................................................... 25
14. Dos and Donts ..................................................................................................................... 26
APPENDIX A: Timeline for Full Time MSc Students ................................................................... 27
APPENDIX B: Timeline for Part time MSc Students ................................................................... 28

1. What Does the Research Component Involve?

The topic of research is included in teaching throughout the course. However, in addition, the
course includes focused teaching aimed at helping students complete a research project and a
dissertation. This includes general teaching about quantitative and qualitative research methods
and regular research seminars aimed at helping students develop a specific research project.
Once students have chosen a project they are allocated a dissertation supervisor who will
provide ongoing support in completing and writing up the study.

Full- and part-time students will have a number of academic seminars in the first two months of
the course, which will provide an introduction to research. Full-time students have a fortnightly
research dissertation seminar in the first term, the aim of which is to help them choose a
research topic and begin to develop their own research project. By the end of the term, each
student will have chosen a project and prepared an application for Research Ethics approval.
From the second term, full time students are expected to work independently (with support
from supervisors) on their projects. Additional seminars will be arranged according to need
during the second and third terms. Part-time students have research teaching sessions as part of
the occasional Thursday meetings. They are expected to have chosen a project and prepared an

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application for Research Ethics approval by the summer term when they will be allocated a
dissertation supervisor.

Educational aims of the course

To enable students to
Critically evaluate research and advanced scholarship and to design, carry out and evaluate
a research project relevant to the field of family therapy
Develop a comprehensive understanding of the research process
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the evidence-base in family therapy
Be conversant in research methodology and design
Complete a research project which explores in an analytical manner a novel question in the
discipline

2. Requirements of the Dissertation

The dissertation comprises one third of the credits required for the MSc, and 100% of the final
grade for the research component of the programme. In order to pass the MSc, it is mandatory
to pass the dissertation with a mark of 50% or higher. The dissertation should be 10,000 words
in length (excluding references, tables and appendices). It should usually be based on a novel
empirical research study, designed and carried out by the student. The time and resources
available for the dissertation are such that large-scale studies are not feasible, and the
expectation is that projects are at the level of a good quality pilot study.

There is an option for doing a non-research dissertation. This could be a literature-based

dissertation on a particular topic. If you want to take this option please discuss it at an early
stage with your tutor. The scope of this piece of work is well beyond that of a literature review
or assignment and our preference is for students to do a research-based piece of work as this
clearly meets AFT requirements. Where students are sponsored they may be required to do
research as part of the conditions of sponsorship. Even if a student chooses the non-research
dissertation option, they will have to write a separate research protocol to meet AFT
requirements.

Learning outcomes for the dissertation

Students should be able to
Formulate a research question and plan an effective way of addressing the question
Select appropriate methodology and demonstrate a knowledge of design limitations
Demonstrate self-direction and originality in planning and carrying out a research project
within the family therapy field
Evaluate evidence and assess implications for practice
Demonstrate a self-reflexive approach to the topic
Assess the ethical implications for the topic being studied and the methods of study
Communicate effectively in written form

In the dissertation, students must demonstrate

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 Knowledge of relevant family therapy and research literature and other relevant specialist
literature (e.g. literature on developmental delay in children, anorexia nervosa, psychosis in
adolescence, violence in families or terminal illness)
The development of a specific idea and clearly defined research questions or hypotheses
that their study aimed to investigate
An accurate description of an appropriate research design and methods used in the study
An appropriate analysis of the data collected
A discussion of the implications of the findings for (i) future research and (ii) clinical practice

Marking guidelines for dissertations

Awareness and use of literature 15%

Development of argument/clarity of idea of hypothesis 20%
Methodology and results presentation 25%
Coherence of discussion/critical capacity 30%
Presentation/referring etc 10%

Overall Equivalent Description

Distinction 70+% Advanced and comprehensive dissertation. Design shows
individuality. Robust methodology and systematic approach to the
project. Comprehensive understanding of research tools employed.
Evidence of independent study and critical evaluation demonstrated
by placing research in context of existing literature. Excellent
standard of presentation and analysis.
Merit 60-69% Well written, logical, organised and accurate answer covering the
design and methodology. Demonstration of a systematic approach to
the project. Good understanding of research tools employed. Some
evidence of independent study. Has developed a clear and accurate
project. High standard of presentation and analysis.
Pass 50-59% Accurate answer outlining a coherent research project covering the
main aspects of design and methodology. Good understanding of
research tools employed. Clearly presented project.
Fail <50% A weak, superficial project. Incomplete coverage of the subject or
with important omissions and mistakes. Poor standard of
presentation and analysis.

3. Roles of those Involved in the Programme

The roles of the research project coordinator/s, research teacher/s, research project
supervisor/s and students are defined as follows:

Research project coordinator/s: The role of the research project coordinator is to set up
students up with supervisors, respond to queries from students and supervisors, set up and
maintain a database of projects in order to ensure that a central record of projects is kept in
case of audit.

Research teacher/s: The role of the research teachers is to plan and facilitate research seminars.

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Research project supervisors: Each student will be allocated a research project supervisor. The
research project supervisors are the first port of call for student enquiries. They are responsible
for providing the research project coordinator with information for the research database.

Students: Students are responsible for day-to-day management of the study.

4. Supervision

All students will be allocated a research supervisor who is available for supervision. Supervision
is generally spread across several terms. The supervisors role is to provide topic-specific or
methodological advice and feedback regarding projects. Supervisors will be a clinician or
researcher working in the field of the chosen subject and/or a member of the MSc academic
staff. In some cases a second supervisor may be appointed, for example where a first supervisor
is less familiar with specific course requirements. The student and supervisor should meet as
early as possible to decide on the frequency of meetings. Meetings between students and
supervisors should be regular; at least 6 x 30 minute meetings. It is important for supervisors
and students to work together at each stage of the research process. Additional advice and
support may be sought from other members of staff when necessary and students are strongly
advised to seek advice from the Department of Biostatistics on questions related to research
design and data analysis.

4.1 Responsibilities of the supervisor

The supervisors responsibilities are:

To ensure that the project is of a suitable standard for a MSc project

To provide advice about the literature and resources relevant to the research question
To give advice on methodology and statistics or guidance on how such advice can be
obtained
To give guidance about the structure and content of the dissertation
To provide comments on written drafts of the dissertation, and the problem of plagiarism
To monitor progress of the project and ensure deadlines are being met
Where supervision is shared between more than one person, one supervisor will have a lead
role in ensuring communication and co-ordination with the other supervisor. Three-way
meetings can be arranged as needed.
To offer at least 6 x 30 minute supervision meetings to discuss the development and write-
up of the dissertation (the total number of supervision sessions is negotiable)

4.2 Responsibilities of the student

The students responsibilities are:

To ensure that they are aware of course requirements and expectations

To take responsibility for their own learning; showing initiative and being proactive
To maintain regular contact with the supervisor throughout the research study; organising
and attending supervision meetings

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 To ensure that they are aware of relevant ethical considerations which arise from the
conduct of research and that they comply with all relevant ethical procedures and guidelines

4.3 Joint Responsibilities

Joint responsibilities between the supervisor and student are:

To develop a detailed timetable for completion of the dissertation

To agree action points to be completed between supervision meetings and to complete
these by the agreed deadline
To offer feedback to each other, including areas of concern

4.4 What to do if theres a problem?

Any problems that arise should normally be discussed between the student and supervisor in
the first instance. If it is not possible to resolve an issue between student and supervisor, it is
recommended to contact the Head of Family Therapy, Professor Ivan Eisler, who will be able to
arrange a joint meeting between himself, student and supervisor if needed.

5. Conducting an original Research Study: Overview

By the end of the MSc programme, students should understand the importance of research in
family therapy. They should be able to plan and carry out a novel study that addresses one or
more research questions relevant to the field, evaluate how successful the study was in
achieving its aims, identify strengths and limitations in its design, and highlight the implications
of its findings for research and clinical practice.

6. Conducting an original Research Study: Step-by-Step Guidance

6.1 Research questions, aims and hypotheses

Before starting a research study, you need to develop a research question, study aims and, if
necessary, hypotheses.

Research question
A key aspect of developing a good research project is having a clearly defined research question.
The research question is the overarching question that the study sets out to answer. A study can
only have one research question, and it should be expressed as a question about the area of
interest. A clear research question will help to shape the research design and will help you to
choose appropriate methods.

In order to develop a research question, you need to first decide on a broad research area and
then narrow it down to develop a research question. You can get ideas for a research question
from beliefs you may have formed from observations, for example in your clinical work, from

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personal interests or experience, discussions with colleagues, or from reading books or journal
articles in an area. The MSc course staff will also suggest some potential existing projects that
students can choose to carry out for the dissertation. A literature search (see next section) can
also help you to develop and refine a research question.

Examples of research questions:

What is the impact of having parents involved in treatment on treatment satisfaction of
adolescents with anorexia nervosa?
Are families with boys likely to be more critical than families with girls?

Study aims
Your research question should lead on to your study aims. The aim/s of a study are what you
expect to do in your study in order to answer your research question. Study aims are more
specific than research questions and are expressed in a statement. A study may have more than
one aim.

Examples of study aims:

The aim of the study was to compare treatment satisfaction of a group of adolescents
with anorexia nervosa whose parents were involved in treatment with a group of
adolescents with anorexia nervosa whose parents were not involved in treatment
The aim of the study was to explore whether families with boys have higher levels of
criticism than families with girls

Hypotheses
Study hypotheses are specific predictions that you want to test by carrying out your study.
Hypotheses are predictions about what you expect to find once you have carried out the
methods and analysed the results. They are expressed in a statement form. There may be more
than one hypothesis in a study and a study may be hypothesis generating or hypothesis
testing.

Examples of hypotheses:

It was hypothesised that adolescents with anorexia would be more satisfied with
treatment when their parents were involved in treatment than those whose parents
were not involved in their treatment.

Occasionally, a study may have no hypotheses, for example if the study is an exploratory
qualitative study in which case the aims will be to generate hypotheses for future research.

6.2 Literature searching

In order to carry out a piece of research you need to have an idea of what research has already
been carried out in the topic that you are interested in. A literature search will help you to
identify studies that have been completed in the area so that you can develop and refine a
research question that your study will aim to answer. Searching the existing literature will also
guide you in writing a literature review which will be part of the Introduction section of your
dissertation. Studies that you have read and cited in your literature review will also need to be
included in the References section of your dissertation.

How do I carry out a literature search?

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In order to carry out a literature search, you need to first choose a topic that interests you and
then read all the studies that are relevant to that area of interest. You should familiarise yourself
with electronic databases (e.g. PsychINFO, Medline, OVID, Google Scholar). You can also contact
the IoP library (iop-library@kcl.ac.uk) which runs several courses providing support with
literature searching. Support documents providing guidance on how to conduct literature
searches can be found here: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/help/guides.aspx

Once you have found the studies on the topic you are interested in, you will need to organise
these studies in a way that summarises the literature and identify gaps of knowledge in the area
that can aim to be addressed by your study.

It can also be helpful to have a look at past MSc dissertations in order to see how other people
organised their literature reviews. The following reference may be useful to think about when
writing literature reviews:

Galvan, J. (2006). Writing literature reviews: a guide for students of the behavioral sciences (3rd
ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.

How do I evaluate papers?

Once you have identified relevant papers to your research you will then need to read and
evaluate them. Depending on the area of interest your literature search may have yielded
different types of papers including papers reporting quantitative research, qualitative research,
or papers that summarise research, such as systematic reviews or meta-analyses. The BMJ has
provided some useful guidelines on how to go about reading and evaluating different papers.
Here is the link:

http://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/how-read-paper

6.3 Methods

Your research question, aims and hypotheses should determine the methods and measures you
decide to use in your study. There may be several methods that you can choose to use to
answer your research question, depending on what you would like to know. For example, if your
research question is What is the impact of having parents involved in treatment on treatment
satisfaction of young people with anorexia?, you might decide to carry out a qualitative study
that interviews young people with anorexia about their perceptions of treatment in order to
answer this. Alternatively, you might decide to carry out a quantitative study that compares self-
report treatment satisfaction questionnaire scores completed by a group of young people with
parental involvement with another group without parental involvement.

The choice of method should also be guided by practical issues. For example, quantitative
studies can sometimes require large numbers of participants, and some methods of qualitative
data analysis are very time-consuming. You need to consider whether a study is feasible before
embarking upon it.

Imagine your primary research question is Do family therapists who work in eating disorder
services eat less chocolate than family therapists who work in general mental health services?

In order to answer this question, your method would need to include:

A way of measuring how much chocolate is eaten by both groups

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 A way of comparing how much chocolate is eaten by both groups

Both the measurement (i.e. the method of data collection) and comparison (i.e. the method of
data analysis) are likely to be quantitative in this case.

Quantitative research:
Quantitative research examines the world through hypothesis testing and investigating the
relationship between different variables providing quantified answers to research questions.
1. Quantitative methods of data collection include administration of questionnaires, surveys,
or structured interviews.
2. Quantitative methods of data analysis include descriptive statistics, comparisons between
groups, and associations between factors.

References for quantitative methods:

1. Coolican, H. (2009). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. London, England:
Hodder & Stoughton.

If you will be analysing your data using the statistical software SPSS the following references are
useful companions:

2. Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS. London, England: SAGE)

3. Pallant, J. (2010). A step by step guide to data analysis using the SPSS programme. Berkshire,
England: McGraw-Hill.

Now imagine your primary research question is How do parents of young people who self-harm
make sense of their son or daughters behaviour?

In order to answer this question, your method would need to include:

A way of capturing these parents experiences and their interpretations of them
A way of interpreting their accounts yourself

Both the capturing (i.e. the method of data collection) and interpretation (i.e. the method of
data analysis) are likely to be qualitative in this case.

Qualitative research:
Qualitative research seeks to understand meanings, experiences and views of people. The
emphasis, in qualitative research is placed in reaching a deep understanding of an experience
and how people relate to a given phenomenon. Qualitative research methods rely on linguistic
rather than numerical data and employ meaning based rather than statistical forms of data
analysis.
Examples of qualitative methods of data collection include focus groups and in-depth
individual interviews
Qualitative methods of data analysis include thematic analysis, Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), or grounded theory.
References for qualitative methods are listed below.

The BMJ published a series of short papers a few years ago about qualitative methods. They are
easy to read and provide a good starting point for those who are new to qualitative research.

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1. Pope, C. and N. Mays (1995). "Qualitative research: reaching the parts other methods
cannot reach: an introduction to qualitative methods in health and health services
research." British Medical Journal 311(6996): 42-45.
2. Mays, N. and C. Pope (1995). "Qualitative research: rigour and qualitative research." British
Medical Journal 311(6997): 109-112.
3. Mays, N. and C. Pope (1995). "Qualitative research: observational methods in health care
settings." British Medical Journal 311(6998): 182-184.
4. Britten, N. (1995). "Qualitative research: qualitative interviews in medical research." British
Medical Journal 311(6999): 251-253.
5. Kitzinger, J. (1995). "Qualitative research: introducing focus groups." British Medical Journal
311(7000): 299-302.
6. Jones, J. and D. Hunter (1995). "Qualitative research: consensus methods for medical and
health services research." British Medical Journal 311(7001): 376-380.7.
7. Keen, J. and T. Packwood (1995). "Qualitative research: case study evaluation." British
Medical Journal 311(7002): 444-446.

Other references for qualitative methods:

1. Elliot, R (1999). Editors introduction to special issue on qualitative psychotherapy research:

Definitions, themes and discoveries. Psychotherapy Research, 9, 251-257.
2. Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in
Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
3. Burck, C. (2005). Comparing qualitative research methodologies for systemic research: the
use of grounded theory, discourse analysis and narrative analysis. Journal of Family Therapy,
27(3), 237-262.
4. Smith, J. A. (2004). Reflecting on the development of interpretative phenomenological
analysis and its contribution to qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative Research in
Psychology, 1(1), 39-54.

Back to basics: general references of research methods for both quantitative and qualitative
methods:

1. Haslam, A. & McGarty, C. (2003). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. London,
England: SAGE.
2. Howitt, D. & Cramer, D. (2011). Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology. Essex,
England: Pearson Education Limited.
3. Breakwell, G. M., Smith, J. A. & Wright, D. B. (2012). Research Methods in Psychology.
London, England: SAGE.

KCL has a number of online guides on quantitative and qualitative research. You can access
these following the link below under section titled Critical Appraisal:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/help/guides.aspx

6.4 Participants

Once you have decided upon your method, you need to think in detail about who your
participants are going to be. Participants could consist of patients, clinicians, carers/parents
and/or healthy individuals.

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A participant sample is usually selected from the population of interest. For example, if your
study aims to explore the experience of having a sister with anorexia nervosa, the population of
interest would be all siblings of females with anorexia nervosa. It is both impractical and
unnecessary to attempt to include every member of this population in a research study, so a
sample comprised of some members of the population needs to be selected.

In quantitative research, the aim of sampling tends to be to obtain a group who are
representative of the population, for example, in terms of gender and age, so that the findings
of the study can be considered generalisable. In qualitative research, the aim of sampling tends
to be to obtain a more homogeneous group with particular characteristics of interest, so that
your findings can provide an in depth understanding of the phenomenon in question for your
selected sample.

Again, consider the practicalities of recruiting your sample. If you were doing the study above
where would you find siblings? By advertising in the press? Through NHS clinics? Through
private healthcare services? Through eating disorder charities? It is often easiest to recruit your
participants from services in which you work or have a placement.

7. Writing a protocol

Once you have decided on your research question/s, study aims, hypotheses (if you have any)
and methods, you need to write these in the form of a research protocol.

7.1 What is a study protocol?

A study protocol is a written summary of the research study. It outlines the background and
rationale for the study, and how you intend to go about the study for example which methods
of recruitment, data collection and analysis you plan to use, and how you will address any issues
that arise. It also specifies ethical considerations of the study.

7.2 What is the protocol used for?

All students will be expected to complete a study protocol. A protocol should be written early in
the research process and it can be used by you and others as a reference for the duration of the
study. . It also justifies the theoretical and scientific feasibility value of the study that you intend
to carry out to reviewers and others, such as ethics committee members or clinics. Research
Ethics Committees will require a study protocol in order to grant approval.

7.3 What should the protocol include?

A protocol should include the following:

A front page
Summary
Introduction
o Background to the study i.e. the rationale for carrying out the study and reasons it
is important

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 o Brief literature review with a few key studies
o Study aims and hypotheses
Participants (who will be your participants including inclusion and exclusion criteria, your
sample size, how you determined how many participants you will need for the study, how
likely it is that you will be able to recruit this number of participants, where will you recruit
your participants from)
Recruitment (how will participants be recruited, who will recruit them)
Measures (what measures do you intend to use, e.g. questionnaires)
Consent (how will consent be sought, consent procedures for young people under 16 years
old)
Procedures (what will participants be required to do, what will the researchers and others
be required to do)
Ethical considerations (e.g. confidentiality, what will happen participants become distressed
whilst taking part in the study or wish to withdraw from the study, other ethical issues)
Attach information sheet and consent form as an Appendix to the study protocol
A flowchart that shows the study pathway would also be useful to include in the study
protocol. This should be written as if from the perspective of a participant.
o Example of a study flowchart:

8. Ethical approval

Before any research project can start, it must be reviewed and approved by an appropriate
research ethics committee (REC). Depending on the nature of the research, this can be either
through a National Health Service (NHS) REC or a university REC, such as KCL College Research
Ethics Committees (CREC).

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8.1 Deciding where to submit for ethical approval

Prior to applying for ethical approval, you need to have written your research protocol and
decided upon the following:

Your primary research question

Your hypotheses (if you have any)
Your population of interest and how you decide which participants to include from this
population (i.e. who your potential participants will be)
Your method of data collection
Your method of data analysis

Once you have written your research protocol you can begin with the ethics application process
which will either be through KCL or through NHS. Your study may also require approval from
research and development (R&D). Below are some useful points that will help you clarify which
application route you need to take and when R&D approval is required.

NHS REC approval is likely to be required if the research involves:

Participants who are being included because they are past or present NHS service users
Participants who are being included because they are family members or carers of past or
present NHS service users
Participants who do not have capacity to give informed consent to take part in the research
Patient data held by the NHS
Use of NHS resources
Main NHS research ethics website: http://www.nres.nhs.uk/

Kings College London (KCL) CREC should be able to approve most other research.
If there is any doubt as to which REC would be most appropriate, clarification should be sought
from either the National Research Ethics Service website: http://www.nres.nhs.uk/
(E-mail: queries@nationalres.org.uk) or the KCL REC website:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/applications/briefingpage.aspx
(E-mail: rec@kcl.ac.uk).

Research and Development (R&D) approval

R&D approval is required for all NHS research.

If you are applying for ethical approval through CREC your study may also need R&D approval,
however this will depend on the design of your study. For instance, if you are interviewing NHS
staff you will need KCL ethical approval and R&D approval from the Trust(s) where your research
will be taking place.

Useful information on R&D can be found here:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/research/office/research/app/index.aspx

Jenny Liebscher, head of R&D at the IoP, is the person to contact if you need support deciding
whether you need R&D approval and the application process. You can find her contact details
here:
http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/staff/profile/default.aspx?go=12348

If your research is taking place in an NHS Trust other than SLaM you should contact the R&D
office of the specific Trust in which you wish to carry out research.

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8.2 Step-by-step guide to submitting an ethics application
Below you will find a step by step guide of what you need to do when applying for KCL CREC or
NHS ethics:

A. Application to Kings College London (KCL) College Research Ethics Committees (CREC)

1. Submit an application to be reviewed by the Research Ethics Subcommittee (RESC) or

Research Ethics Panel (REP), at one of the RESC/REP review meetings. You will need
to complete the forms found on the following website:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/applications/apply.aspx

2. Prepare Information and consent forms - Templates available through KCL site:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/index.aspx

3. R&D approval (if required) - If your study requires R&D approval you will need to create
an account on the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS), which can be found
here:
http://www.nres.nhs.uk/applications/

Then you need to set up a new study, complete filter questions and then complete
sections under R&D form and SSI form.

B. Application to NHS Research Ethics Committees (REC)

1. Create an account on the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) online system
available here:
https://www.myresearchproject.org.uk/

Information on completing the relevant forms and the application procedure from start
to finish can be found here:
http://www.nres.nhs.uk/applications/

2. Once you have an account on the IRAS you need to create a new study and complete
project filter questions (found on the left hand side)

3. Then you need to complete the integrated data set for all project forms (below the
project filter questions)

This is the main form to complete. Information that you enter in this integrated
form will also be entered in the NHS REC form, NHS R&D form and NHS R&D Site
Specific Information (SSI) form. However, you do need to check each form
separately for any additional section that need to be completed.

Once the NHS REC form is completed you need to send a draft to your
supervisor

You can also send a draft to Jenny Liebscher for feedback, especially if you are
not sure how to complete a section on the form.

You then need to send your final version to Jenny Liebscher and your supervisor
using the transfer tab

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Following this you also need to send an online signature request to your
supervisor and Jenny Liebscher using the authorisations tab.

Once the form is complete and all necessary signatures have been obtained you
need to go to the submission tab and press the submit button. This does not
submit the form, but it does transform your REC form from a draft version to a
locked version where you cannot change anything (of note, you can always
create a duplicate if you have locked it and need to change something but you
will need to ask for your supervisor and sponsor to sign it again).

Once the form has been electronically signed by Jenny Liebscher and your
supervisor you can save a pdf version of it and print it.

4. Complete the NHS/HSC R&D form

This is the main form for obtaining R&D approval

Complete R&D form (most sections in this form will already be complete as
information will be automatically retrieved from the integrated data set for all
project forms).

5. Complete the NHS/HSC R&D site-specific (SSI) form

The SSI form is needed for R&D approval

Insert information about the site where your research will be conducted (most
sections in this form will already be complete as information will be
automatically retrieved from the integrated data set for all project forms)

If your research will be carried out in numerous sites then each site needs a
separate SSI form to be completed.

6. Accompanied documents

Along with your main REC application forms you may also need to prepare some
additional documents. Here is a list of what accompanied documents you are likely to
need to prepare:

o Research protocol: Summary of your study

o Participant information sheet
o Participant consent form
o Any other documents such as invitation letters/circular emails
o Any material you will be administering to participants e.g. questionnaires
o If undertaking qualitative research include questions/topic guide that you will
be using

7. Booking with a REC

Once you have completed all of your forms you need to contact the NHS allocation
system in order to be allocated a REC. If your study is based in London (which usually
applies to most people), you should call the London NHS REC Allocation System on 0117
342 1336 who will advise you of committees in London and help you to find an
appropriate one to apply to - you will then send all the documents to the committee you
have been allocated. Details of your allocated REC should be inserted in the appropriate
section of the main REC form prior to submitting the form.

Here is the website to the local allocation system:

15
 http://www.nres.nhs.uk/applications/booking-and-submitting-your-application/local-
allocation-system/

8. Where to send documents:

o Research Ethics Approval

 Both electronic and hard copies of the REC form and all accompanied
documents need to be sent to your allocated REC.
 You will need to liaise with the REC co-ordinator who will provide you
with the postal address and email address to send all your documents.

o R&D approval
 The R&D form, SSI form(s) and accompanied documents need to be sent
or handed over to Jenny Liebscher from the R&D office based at the IoP.
 Once you have Research ethics approval you will also need to send your
approved REC form and approval letter to the R&D office as well. Only
then will you be able to obtain R&D approval
 Of note: any amendments you make to your ethics application along
with approval letters also need to be sent to R&D.

9. REC review meeting and ethical issues

Once you have emailed and posted all of your documents, the REC will send you an
invitation letter to a review meeting to discuss your study and any ethical issues that
may need clarifying or amending. Although it is not obligatory to attend this meeting it
is recommended as this will give you the opportunity to defend your study.

Prior to attending the review meeting you will need to have identified what you think
the main ethical issues are in your study, and thought about how you will address these.
You may want to discuss with your supervisor about potential ethical issues and
whether similar studies have been conducted and whether they faced any ethical
dilemmas. You will also need to decide whether you will attend the review meeting
along with your supervisor or go by yourself.

RECs can vary in what they highlight during the ethical review process, but there are a
number of key issues that they are likely to consider:

Identification of potential participants (potential breaches of confidentiality)

Voluntary participation (no coercion)
Informed consent to participate in the research (understanding of what is involved),
especially when vulnerable groups are involved (e.g. children, adults with
communication difficulties)
Risks to the participants (physical/emotional such as distress related to the research
interview)
Disclosures (how will they be dealt with?)
Benefits to the participants (if there are any)
Risks to the researcher (e.g. visiting participants at home)

A useful reference covering various ethical issues in qualitative research is the following book:

16
Hammersey, M. & Traianou, A. (2012). Ethics in qualitative research: Controversies and contexts.
London, England: Sage

10. After ethical approval

Once your research study has received approval from a REC and R&D approval there are a
number of things you need to keep in mind:

During recruitment

Progress report: Regular progress report of the status of recruitment need to be made to the
NHS REC, these can be found here:
http://www.nres.nhs.uk/applications/after-ethical-review/annual-progress-reports/

Minor amendment and substantial amendment: If during your study you need to change any
aspects of your study for instance the inclusion criteria or add a researcher to the study you
need to notify your REC that you are asking for a minor or substantial amendment. Any
necessary documents need to be amended and updated versions need to be sent for review
along with a cover letter stating what you would like to change in your study and why. Once the
amendment has been approved you will also need to notify R&D of the changes that have taken
place and send them any amended documents. Information on minor and substantial
amendments and the report that you will need to complete can be found here for NHS ethics:
http://www.nres.nhs.uk/applications/after-ethical-review/notification-of-amendments/

Information on modifications relating to KCL ethics can be found here:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/research/support/ethics/applications/modifications.aspx

After completion of study

Once your study has been completed, a letter needs to be sent to both your REC and R&D office
to notify them that you have finished recruitment and your study has been completed.
Declaration of end of study document can be found here:
http://www.nres.nhs.uk/applications/after-ethical-review/endofstudy/

Ethics approval -Key points to remember:

 Make sure that you are applying to the appropriate REC (i.e. KCL or NHS) by discussing with
your supervisor and contacting Jenny Liebscher - R&D Governance and Delivery Manager,
who can advise you.
 Familiarise yourself with the application procedure (for example, how often the REC meets,
how far in advance they need to receive your application, what documents they want to see
alongside the main application form, etc.)
 Familiarise yourself with the main application form (for KCL or NHS)
 Complete any sections of the form you can (for example, having made the decisions above,
you should be able to answer questions on background and methodology)
 Highlight sections of the form that you are unable to complete and seek advice on these
from your supervisor and/or staff in the REC office

Ethics jargon
IRAS = Integrated Research Application System

17
REC = Research Ethics Committee
R&D = Research & Development
CREC =College Research Ethics Committee

9. Data Collection and Storage

As you carry out your research project you will need to think about who carries out the data
collection and where the data from your study will be stored. Any ethical issues arising out of
the study should be discussed briefly in the final section of the Method section in the write up of
the dissertation. Data should be retained according to the college guidelines which can be found
here along with general data management information:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/using/info-management/rdm/index.aspx

A folder will be provided where students should put: a one-page summary of their study; a copy
of the study protocol and study documents; ethics and R&D application forms and
correspondence; signed participant consent forms; and a disc containing study data. These files
should then be stored securely in the Family Therapy Section at the portacabin on the green.

Finally, all students are expected to email the course administrator copies of their research
protocol, research ethics application and accompanied documents, including information and
consent forms, as well as, submit a final version of their dissertation as a pdf document.

10. Data Analysis

If you are undertaking a quantitative study and you need advice on sample size calculations and
how to analyse your data you can book to meet with a statistician through the IoP department
of Biostatistics statistics helpdesk. It is advisable to meet with a statistician early on when you
are designing your project rather than wait until you have collected all your data by which time
it is too late to correct faults in the research design that may make your data difficult to
interpret. The booking form can be found here:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/iop/depts/biostatistics/advisory/index.aspx

If you are undertaking a qualitative study familiarise yourself with the type of analysis you have
chosen to analyse your data. You will also need to justify why you have chosen that particular
analysis over others. For instance, if you have chosen interpretative phenomenological analysis
(IPA) you will need to justify how it best fits with your research question and study aims, and
why you chose this type of analysis rather than other methods of data analysis (e.g. thematic
analysis).

An overview of qualitative methods can be found here:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/kpi/scwru/pubs/2011/moriarty2011qualitativemethods.pdf

11. Writing up
A general note on writing style: A dissertation should be written as an academic text that
provides a well developed and easy to follow account of the project, and should follow the usual
rules of academic writing styles. This includes careful and consistent referencing of literature
sources, use of appropriate headings and subheadings to make the text easy to follow, and well

18
chosen tables or figures to present findings (quantitative or qualitative). Generally, it is best to
avoid writing in the first person the dissertation is about your research and not about you. By
the same token it is not about other people so be very sparing in using direct quotes of what
other people have said.

The dissertation will be divided into four sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and
Discussion. An Abstract (a brief summary of the study) will also need to be written after the
study has been completed. The write up will reflect the protocol in many ways, and some of the
headings will be the same as those used in the protocol. Each section will be discussed below.

11. 1 Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of the study. It is usually limited to 250 words. It is useful to use
the headings: Background, Aims and hypotheses, Methods, Results, Conclusion in order to help
structure the abstract.

11.2 Introduction
The introduction section includes an overview of the dissertation as a whole, the background to
the study, the literature review, and study aims and hypotheses.

A literature review is a summary of research done in a particular area. It will make up the
majority of the Introduction section to your dissertation. A literature review should have two
parts: (1) description of the area, (2) evaluation of the area.

Although literature reviews evaluate methods and results, their main focus is to bring together
theories and results from a number of studies to describe the "big picture" of a field of research.
Your literature review should highlight where there is a gap in the knowledge of the field being
examined. Rather than just a list of what other people have done in the area, a literature review
should provide a clear story which critically evaluates and integrates the current state of the
field.

The Introduction section of the dissertation should end with your study aims and hypotheses;
the background and literature review presented in the Introduction should lead logically into the
study aims and hypotheses. Therefore, by the time the reader gets to the end of the
Introduction, the aims and hypotheses should make logical sense.

A helpful way of thinking of the introduction is like a pyramid, whereby the area under
investigation is introduced broadly and then slowly becomes more specific until it ends with the
studys aims and hypotheses.

11.3 Method
The Method section of the dissertation includes the study design, participants, measures,
procedure, and plan for data analysis, and detail how ethical issues were addressed. When
writing the method section of the dissertation, some people find it helpful to think of it as a
recipe. As with a recipe, someone should be able read your method section and replicate what
you did. The method section should give clear details of how the study is to be carried out. This
should include a participant section with a description of the subject population that was
investigated, how the participants were selected and recruited into the study, and the sample
size. It is important to consider issues surrounding practicalities of recruiting participants as this

19
will prevent any delays when recruiting. Prior to approaching any potential participants clear
inclusion and exclusion criteria need to be outlined. In presenting the methods that were used
(interviews, questionnaires, observations, etc.), a description should be given in the text and the
actual instrument, if it is available, attached as an appendix. The procedure section should
specify how the data was collected, details of the design of the study and where appropriate a
description of the interventions(s) that the researcher made.

11.4 Results
The results section presents the analysis of your data and your findings. If you have undertaken
a quantitative study this section is likely to include tables, figures and graphs. The text itself
should provide sufficient details of the findings for the reader to be able to follow without
constantly referring to the tables or figures and similarly tables and figures should be self
explanatory (with appropriate legends) without the need to refer to the text. If you have
conducted a qualitative study this section is likely to include a list of themes that have emerged
from the chosen analysis and quotes from your participants to illustrate the themes. These serve
a similar function to tables and figures and again it is useful to present these separated from the
text by e.g. putting them in a box. (Note: tables, figures and examples of quotes in qualitative
studies are not included in the overall word count).

11.5 Discussion
The discussion should take up the reverse form of your introduction, starting from the specific
to the general. It is often useful to start with a brief summary of the research findings before
discussing how they link to previous research, and their possible clinical and research
implications. The strengths and limitations of the study should be discussed as well as possible
alternative explanations of the findings. Above all the discussion is a key place to show your
ability to think critically, offer your own point of view and an ability to provide a systemic
perspective on the subject.

11.6 Conclusion

This consists of your conclusions, clinical contributions/implications and directions for research
in the future.

11.7 References

The reference section is a list of all the material that has been cited in your dissertation. You
should format this in accordance with a chosen reference style such as Harvard (described in
detail in the MSc handbook).If you are more familiar with and prefer to use an alternative
referencing style (e.g. APA) you are welcome to use this as long as you do it consistently. You
may want to consider using one of many bibliography software, such and ENDNote or Refworks.
This allows you to manage your references and format accordingly. Information and support can
be found here:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/help/bibsoftware/index.aspx

11.8 Appendices

Here you can include material such as the questionnaires you have used or the list of interview
questions/ topic guide that you have used in your study.

20
11.9 General tips on writing up

In general, you will write up your dissertation at the end of the research process once you
have collected and analysed your data and have your results. However, there are some
sections of the dissertation which you can be writing before you get to this stage. For
example, it is a good idea to start writing your Methods section early on, e.g. while you are
waiting for ethical approval or whilst you are collecting and analysing your data. This will
save you time when you come to writing up the rest of the dissertation at the final writing
up stage.
When writing up, it is usually a good idea to start with your Methods section. You can then
write your Introduction section. Once you have analysed your data you can write your
Results section and your Discussion section - you can always go back and edit any sections at
a later date.
Remember to leave enough time to send a draft copy of the different sections to your
supervisor and for them to reply with comments/suggestions.
As mentioned earlier avoid writing in the first-person (i.e. avoid the use of the words "I" or
"the researcher") when writing your dissertation. For example, you should write
"Participants were asked to sign consent forms" rather than "I asked the participants to sign
consent forms".

11.10 Plagiarism and how to avoid it

The Oxford English Dictionary defines plagiarism as '...to take and use as one's own the
thoughts, writings, or inventions of another.' In other words, it involves using someone elses
words without acknowledging them. This is strictly forbidden in academic work. If you copy
another persons work without acknowledgement you are committing plagiarism.

Examples of things that need acknowledgment in your thesis:

Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, journal article, newspaper, or web page.
Information you gather through interviews
When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase
When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials

Examples of things that do not need acknowledgment in your thesis:

Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own
thoughts and your own conclusions about a subject
When you are writing up your own results obtained through experiments
When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio
When you are using "common knowledge," things like common sense observations and
events (but not documents)
When you are using generally-accepted facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment

In order to avoid plagiarism you can use one of the following techniques:
Paraphrasing, that is re-writing in your own words

21
 Follow the rules when copying directly from a text. For instance, you must show exactly
which parts of your text you have copied from other texts. You must, therefore, mark
the beginning and ending of the quotation and give the number of the page from which
it is taken.
Showing where you copied from (acknowledging your sources)

For further information on plagiarism please look at the following KCL site:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/help/plagiarism/plagiarism/plagiarism.aspx

11.11 Presentation

The format for presentation of the dissertation should consider the following:
The dissertation should be typed on one side of A4 paper with double spacing. Each page
including figures and tables should be numbered consecutively
All publications referred to should be clearly referenced in the text and all references used
should be listed at the end of the dissertation. A consistent style of referencing should be
used throughout the dissertation. Please use the style used by the Journal of Family Therapy
(see the Journals instructions to authors) or the Harvard system. Details of this are found in
the MSc handbook.
A separate title page should be included, including the name of the candidate, the title of
the dissertation and the degree for which it is being submitted
A summary of the dissertation of not more than 300 words (abstract) should begin on page
two. Please provide a word count at the foot of this page giving the length of the
dissertation.

12. An examiners thoughts about MSc Dissertations

The following are some thoughts that you might find helpful in completing the final version of
your dissertations. They are written from an examiners point of view, based on some of the
mistakes that previous trainees have made. They are neither exhaustive nor should they be
taken as a strict instruction on how a dissertation must be written. Much of it will seem fairly
obvious but sometimes the most obvious things get forgotten.

12.1 General Points

 Remember who your readership is going to be, i.e. in the immediate future, the
examiners. Some examiners may know your particular subject area very well, others may be less
familiar with it or in fact know less about it than you do. It is better to err on the side of
explaining things more than is necessary than to make an (unwarranted) assumption that what
you are talking about is so obvious, that it does not need explaining.

 Examiners have a large number of dissertations to read at the same time and the limits
of their attention span may be severely tested. Make sure that what you write is clear and easy
to follow. For instance:
a) Start by giving an overview of what your dissertation is going to be about
b) Use sub-headings to break up the text and guide the reader
c) Avoid using very long sentences

22
d) Use appropriate paragraph breaks
e) Ask yourself the following questions: is it clear what point is being made in each
paragraph; does it follow-on from the point in the previous paragraph and does it lead
on to the next point
f) Use simple tables or charts to illustrate what you want to say (I will return to this point
later)

 This is an MSc in Family Therapy. Whatever the particular subject of your dissertation,
you must make sure that you discuss its relevance to family therapy and that in presenting your
views, you demonstrate your ability to think systemically.

12.2 Introduction/Literature review

 The introduction/literature review should show that you have a good knowledge of the
relevant literature and an ability to evaluate critically both the theoretical and empirical
contributions of other authors. The most important thing, however, is that like the rest of your
dissertation it should have a clear story - in other words you should try to develop an argument
through which you take the reader, step-by-step, towards the question(s) that you want to
address by your study.

 Whilst you need to demonstrate your knowledge of the relevant literature by referring
to other authors, don't feel that you have to quote or describe everything that you have read -
make sure that what you use fits into your story. Similarly, be sparing with verbatim quotes
sometimes they can be useful but can also break up the flow of the text, making it less clear
what your own view is.

 Your own view is the one that counts. Be clear about what you want to say and be
appropriately critical of other authors. Make a clear distinction between:
Other authors' empirical findings - Smith et al (1990) have shown that
- Other authors' views - Smith et al (1990) suggest
- Your own views - the suggestion by Smith's et al (1990) is problematic because.....

12.3 Method section

 The description of the method (and for that matter data presentation) generally needs
to be written in a different style to the one that you use in presenting the theoretical
background, i.e. it should be essentially descriptive, giving a clear, concise account of what you
actually did. Your description should be clear enough to allow someone to replicate what you
did. It should include:

- Who were the subjects (inclusion/exclusion criteria)

- What methods you used (a brief description in the text may be supplemented with
more details e.g. a sample questionnaire, in an appendix)
- What were the procedures used (i.e. what were the steps in data collection)

 Leave the discussion of the methodology (e.g. the limitations of the sample size) till the
discussion section.

23
12.4 Results

 Data presentation needs to be concise and easy to follow. Remember, that although
you have spent a lot of time thinking about the data, the reader has not. Whilst the results
section should be descriptive rather than interpretative, you have to guide the reader through
the data by providing a meaningful structure. The two most common mistakes that people
make in writing up their results are:

a) Presenting a large amount of relatively unprocessed data (e.g. analysing a questionnaire,

item-by-item, simply giving percentages of yes/no answers - this is a bit like trying to tell
someone what happened in an interview by giving them a transcript rather than summarizing
what happened). The equivalent in qualitative studies is when a large number of quotes are
presented without a clear structure for the reader to follow.

b) Presenting numerous data analyses e.g. a correlation matrix of all possible variables, without
any thought of why particular variables are being compared

 Data is often difficult to follow for the reader. Use sensible tables and/or charts. These
should be self explanatory i.e. the reader should not have to search through the text to be able
to make sense of them. At the same time the reader should be able to follow the text without
constantly referring to your tables or graphics. The text therefore should contain a brief
description of the main things being illustrated by each table or chart. Complicated tables or a
large number of even simple tables can be counterproductive by distracting the reader from
your main story. In qualitative studies your data is what people have said. The same rule
applies as in quantitative studies. Put the quotes in a table or a box so that the reader can follow
the story in your main text without being constantly distracted by a sequence of quotes.

 Make sure that you are using appropriate statistical tests - if in doubt ask. Using
complex statistical analyses that you dont fully understand is risky. For instance, doing a
multivariate analysis (e.g. factor analysis or discriminant analysis) will give quite spurious results
if the number of variables is large and the number of subjects is small - as a rule of thumb you
need a ratio of 10:1 (subjects:variables) for such an analysis to be meaningful
Statistical packages like SPSS can easily seduce you into thinking that the more statistical
analyses you do the better. Statistical tests are generally used to test whether an association
that you have found in your data could be due to chance. They are best used when testing a
predicted association. Remember, that if you took a large number of random variables and
correlated everything with everything else, you could expect to find that 5% of your results
would be "statistically significant" by chance.

 Present your data in a way that makes sense to you. Sometimes, even seemingly simple
ways of presenting results can be misleading, particularly, if you have a small sample. Consider
the following:

Of the three subjects who were interviewed, one said...

a third of the subjects who were interviewed said...
33.333% of the subjects who were interviewed said...

All three statements are, at one level, equivalent but the second and third disguise the fact that
you have a small sample and give a spurious sense of accuracy (particularly the third statement).

24
12.5 Discussion

 Think carefully about you what you have learned from your study. Remind yourself that
in most cases your project is best thought as a pilot study and that you are unlikely to be able to
provide answers to major substantive questions. Your pilot study, however, may have helped to:

Clarify the questions that a future study would need to address

Suggest new hypotheses
Provide ideas for how your method should be modified before it could be used in a
further study
Provide tentative answers to some of your main questions
Provide information about the size of the sample that might be needed for a substantive
study

All of the above are useful.

 Think carefully about the implications of your study both for future research and for
clinical practice. What does it have to say about your understanding of families? What
implications does it have for family therapy practice?

 Dont be afraid to speculate - try to think of different ways that your findings could be
interpreted. Make sure that you return to a systemic perspective in the discussion and that
your own point of view is clearly expressed.

AND FINALLY

 Avoid using jargon - examiners who understand it wont be impressed, those who
dont will be annoyed
 Be careful with referencing - use a consistent form of referencing making sure that
every author you refer to is listed in your references and that the reference list contains only
authors referred to in the text
 Do a spell check and a final (thorough) proof read
 Do a word count - keep within the prescribed length of dissertation

13. Time management

We appreciate that you have deadlines throughout the course, but it is crucial that you keep the
dissertation in your minds throughout. There may be times when it has to be put to one side,
but there may also be times when other things are quieter you need to capitalise on these. It is
important to remember there may never be a perfect time when you can dedicate everything to
your dissertation. It is a good idea to write a timeline for your study as early as possible which
can help to keep you on track and to meet deadlines. A timetable can also help you to think
about how much time to allocate to each part of the research. For example, if you are carrying
out many qualitative interviews as part of your data collection, you will need to make sure you
allocate enough time for your data analysis which can be a lengthy process. If you anticipate
difficulties in recruiting enough participants to your study, you will need to allocate enough time
for the recruitment phase of your study in order to ensure you get enough participants. You may
want to develop and discuss your timetable with your supervisor.

25
A research dissertation timetable for full and part time students is shown in Appendix A & B.
Timetables will be handed out at the beginning of each year with specific dates being confirmed.

14. Dos and Donts

Do:
Read this handbook to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the dissertation
Look through past dissertations (kept in the Section) to get a feel for the standard of work
required and the topics people have previously studied
Take responsibility for your project
Speak to someone (your tutor, research supervisor or other member of course staff) if you
are worried about how things are going
Work with your fellow students
Work out a timeline for the dissertation early on, working backwards from the deadline and
bearing in mind the other deadlines for the course

Dont:
Avoid your project
Avoid your supervisor
Leave things too late

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 APPENDIX A: Timeline for Full Time MSc Students

Task 1 : Task 2:
Two Academic Hand in two page 10 minute oral
Seminars summary of presentation of
proposed project research project

October -November December - January February July - August

Select area of Statistical advice/Finalise Amendments submitted March-June
interest/develop Coding/entering data
research design/Research (if recquired)/Ethical
specific Data collection computer/data
protocol /submit for approval obtained
question/literature analysis/write-up
ethical approval
review/Register
IRAS/KCL (Ethics)

Four Research Three One

Seminars Research Research
Seminars Seminar

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 APPENDIX B: Timeline for Part time MSc Students

Academic Tasks
Seminars: Task 1 in March: Hand in two page summary
Two in of proposed project
November Task 2 in June: 10 minute oral presentation
of research project

July-August
October -February March -June Amendments September- April- August
Select area of Statistical advice/Finalise submitted (if March Coding/entering data
interest/develop specific research recquired)/Ethical
question/literature Data collection computer/data
design/Research approval obtained analysis/write-up
review/Register IRAS/KCL protocol /submit for
(Ethics) ethical approval

Three research Four

seminars research
seminars

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 Section of Family Therapy
Institute of Psychiatry
P073
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AF
Phone: 020 7848 0693
Email: familytherapy-administration@kcl.ac.uk