Documentary analysis report on research evidence in professional
Documentary analysis report on research evidence in professional
Assessment Requirements
Documentary analysis report on research evidence in professional
publications
Details of task:
In Assessment Task 1, you are required to critically assess the way in which research evidence has been used within publications written for professionals (e.g. professional journals for practitioners, policy documents for education organisations, research summaries for policy-makers, etc.). Specifically, you are asked to:
• Select three articles that:
(i) focus on an educational topic that interests you;
(ii) are published in professional publications*, and
(iii) draw on research evidence in some way.
• Read each article and complete a document analysis framework (see below) based on a critical analysis of the use of research evidence within the article.
• Using your three completed document analysis frameworks, and drawing on the readings that you have done so far in this unit, write a 1000-word commentary in response to the following questions:
1. What types of research evidence did you see being used in your selected publications? What were some of the notable strengths, weaknesses or absences?
2. In what ways was research evidence presented and used within your selected publications? Were there any notable differences between the three publications?
• Submit your three completed document analysis frameworks along with your 1000-word commentary for assessment.
Document Analysis Framework The framework below is designed to help make your analysis of publications:
• structured in terms of asking similar questions for all publications
• critical in terms of thinking about the nature and use of research evidence
• purposeful in terms extracting information to draw upon for your
written commentary.
Log 1-2 pages of writing in response to the below questions for
each of your selected publications.
Your name and date of completing
framework:
Name:
Date:
Publication title, author and publication date:
Title:
Author(s):
Publication date:
Type of publication:
Professional journal article, Research
summary, Policy document, Think tank
report, etc.
Aims/focus: What is the stated aims/focus of the
publication?
Audiences: Who are the intended audiences for this
publication?
Evidence base: What evidence does the publication draw on?
Evidence
appraisal:
What is the quality of the evidence that is drawn on? Are there any notable weaknesses or absences in the evidence
that is used?
Evidence presentation:
How is the evidence presented within the publication?
Evidence use: How is the evidence used within the publication i.e. what role does it play within the publication?
Main arguments/ conclusions:
What are the main findings/conclusions of the publication? How well do they relate to the evidence presented?
Other comments: Any other relevant comments about this publication and its use of evidence?
Word count:
4000 words equivalent
Weighting/Value:
50%
Criteria for marking:
Submitted assignments will be assessed based on a set of criteria that are spelt out in the marking rubric (downloadable from Moodle). The assessment process will be criterion-referenced. Marks and grades will be awarded
based on the University’s Standard Unit Grading Schema, see: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policybank/
academic/education/assessment/grading-scale-policy.html
