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Research Project Guidelines for BCH, CMM, CTM, MIC and NSC

The Research Project, an integral part of the students' program. During your studies, you will engage in 8 months of impactful laboratory research, comprehensive literature analysis, and effective communication. Submission deadlines vary by admission term.

Research Project for BCH, CMM, CTM, MIC and NSC Students

MED 5900/CTM 7103 is compulsory for all students enrolled in the MSc with Research Project option at the Faculty of Medicine.

The courses comprises an 8-month research project in laboratory research and the completion of a research project evaluated by two professors and the research supervisor.

Preamble

Like the thesis, the purpose of the research project is for the student to demonstrate his or her ability to work independently in a scholarly manner. It is a prospective exercise, i.e., a student may not submit work conducted previously.

The research project does not have to make a significant original contribution to the academic knowledge of the subject, but it must display extensive research and independent analysis. This includes comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the literature relating to the topic.

For guidelines and requirements, consult the course syllabus for MED 5900 / CTM 7103. 

Evaluation

The evaluation is divided into three parts:

  1. laboratory performance assessed by the research director (20%)

  2. evaluation of the research report by two Faculty of Medicine professors (50%)

  3. presentation of a research poster evaluated by two Faculty of Medicine professors (30%)

The research project will be evaluated by two professors (with supervisory privileges). The research project will be assessed for quality and accuracy of the analysis, logical organization, extent of research conducted for the paper, the relevance of the material used/methodology, and clarity and correctness of expression.

Each evaluator provides a numerical grade and indicates one of two possible recommendations:

  • The research project is graded SATISFACTORY (grade equal to or higher than 65%)

  • The research project is graded NOT SATISFACTORY (grade less than 65%)

Important: failing one or more components will result in a failure for MED 5900 and subsequent withdrawal from the program.

Discordant recommendations will be resolved in a timely manner with the input of a third examiner appointed by the director of graduate studies. NOTE: All examiners must provide a grade of 65 or greater out of 100 to obtain a passing grade for this component of the course.

Deadlines

Students admitted in Spring
Submission DeadlineApril 15 at 11:59 p.m.
Evaluation DeadlineApril 26 
Students admitted in Fall 
Submission DeadlineAugust 11 at 11:59 p.m.
Evaluation DeadlineAugust 23
Students admitted in Winter (CTM only)
Submission DeadlineDecember 8 at 11:59 p.m.
Evaluation DeadlineDecember 19

Research Project for Epidemiology and Applied Health Research Students

Research Project prepared under the direction of one or two professors chosen in consultation with the director of graduate studies. The project is evaluated by the supervisor(s) and another professor.

Graded: S (Satisfactory)/NS (Not satisfactory).

Preamble

Like the thesis, the purpose of the research project is for the student to demonstrate his or her ability to work independently in a scholarly manner. It is a prospective exercise, i.e., a student may not submit work conducted previously. It is expected that students will complete the MSc in Epidemiology with research project in no more than two years; it is usual to complete within 16 months.

The research project does not have to make a significant original contribution to the academic knowledge of the subject, but it must display extensive research and independent analysis. This includes comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the literature relating to the topic. Use of original data is not required but analysis of already collected data, or collection and analysis of small-scale primary data, is optional. The subject of the research project must fit within the parameters of the epidemiology program. Examples of projects that may be feasible to conduct within the time frame of about one semester (4 months) and therefore could be the basis of research papers include some types of evidence syntheses, some types of analysis of already-collected data, and small-scale studies involving collection of primary data. The intent is that the student applies some of the training they gain in their coursework and produce scholarly work. Supervisors will be able to advise whether a chosen topic is appropriate.

Format and requirements

Length

The research project is a major piece of work, requiring approximately half the effort expected for a master’s thesis. While quality is more important than length, a typical paper is approximately 40 to 50 pages of double-spaced text in a 12-point font, excluding the title page, table of contents, references, and appendices.

Your paper should include:

  • A title page
  • A table of contents 
  • A one-page abstract
  • References and citations using a recognized health sciences or medical citation style
  • Tables and figures integrated into the text where appropriate

The organization of the paper should reflect the nature of the project. Many papers follow the traditional scientific format:

  1. Introduction 
  2. Aims
  3. Methods
  4. Results
  5. Discussion

However, other structures may be appropriate if they present the material more clearly and logically.

Submission of the research project

To submit your Research project, submit a Service Request and provide the following information:  

  • Category: Research  
  • Type/Subtype: Major Research paper

Required documents

The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office forwards the research project and the original protocol to the evaluators, with the firm expectation that their recommendations will be returned in no more than three weeks.

How Your Research Project Is Evaluated

The research project is evaluated by:

  • Your supervisor (or one combined evaluation if two supervisors are involved)
  • One additional professor with supervisory privileges in the program

The evaluation considers several factors, including:

  • Quality and accuracy of the analysis
  • Organization and structure
  • Depth of research
  • Relevance of the evidence and sources used
  • Clarity and quality of writing
  • Overall scholarly rigor

An aspiration is that it would be ‘of publishable quality’ in the sense that it meets the standards of rigorous peer-review while recognizing the short time frame for the research. Some students have gone on to develop manuscripts based on their research projects that have been accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

The supervisor’s evaluation will be informed by having been involved with the student in the development of the research project, from advising on the original protocol, interactions through the writing phase, and feedback on the draft paper. The evaluation will consider how closely the research project reflects the original intent and aims of the protocol, taking into account how and why these may have evolved as the work progressed. 

Where the student has engaged two supervisors, they will agree on one evaluation only (i.e., either one supervisor acts as a single evaluator, or they both evaluate but agree on a single recommendation).

The external professor’s evaluation will also be informed by the original protocol. He or she will be requested to judge whether the research project meets the expectation of high quality, scholarly work, as described in the PREAMBLE.

Each evaluator indicates one of three possible recommendations:

1. Approved with no revisions required.
  • The research project is accepted as submitted.
  • Graded satisfactory.
2. Approved with minor revisions.
  • The research project is approved subject to minor revisions.
  • The student must make the requested revisions by the specified deadline.
  • The supervisor(s) will review and formally confirm that the revised research project meets the requirements to be graded SATISFACTORY.
3. The research project is not approved and requires major revisions.
  • The research project is not approved in its current form and requires substantial revisions.
  • Students are given one opportunity to revise and resubmit the project. 
  • The revised research project must be submitted by the deadline for the following term, and enrolment must be maintained. The revised research project will be evaluated using the standard process.
  • To receive a SATISFACTORY grade, the research project recommendation must be (1) or (2), with minor revisions made according to the process described above.
  • If the revised research project receives a second recommendation for ‘major revisions’, it will receive a final NOT SATISFACTORY grade.

If evaluators provide conflicting recommendations, the Director of Graduate Studies will appoint a third examiner to help reach a final decision.

Final Grade

A grade of Satisfactory is awarded when the research project is:

  • Approved without revisions, or
  • Approved with minor revisions that are completed successfully.

EAHR Deadlines

You must remain registered in the program until the final grade for the research project has been submitted to the University.

You should review submission deadlines carefully to avoid having to re-enrol in a subsequent term while revisions are being completed and evaluated.

TermSubmission deadlineEvaluation deadlineRevision deadline
Spring/SummerJuly 12August 2August 23
Fall November 10December 1December 22
WinterMarch 12April 2April 23