Assignment 3: Research proposal (35%)
Due Date: Week 13 (26 Nov 2025, 2359hrs)
Aim: The purpose of this paper is for students to review a health service issue and propose an HSR study that can address the issue.
Achieved learning outcomes:
- Distinguish research designs used in health service research and apply them to a range of research questions.
- Evaluate and propose appropriate research methodology to overcome issues of bias, chance and confounding, in both randomised and non-randomised studies.
- Measure and examine user perspectives in the design and evaluation of health services.
- Apply rigorous and sound methodology to develop a health services research project.
Instructions:
Students are required to submit an individually written research proposal of not more than five pages to demonstrate their ability to conceptualise a research topic, design, synthesise the relevant literature and apply rigorous and sound methodology to develop a health services research project. The format of this proposal follows the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Letter of Intent (LOI) Format. References are not counted towards the page limit.
Assessment criteria
Criteria assessed:
The student will be assessed on the cohesiveness of the research proposal, and specifically in the following areas:
- Original applied research idea with clear rationale (20%)
- Comprehensive and relevant literature review (30%)
- Appropriate research design, methods and analytic framework (30%)
- Written communication (10%)
- Formatting and references (10%)
o Correct APA formatting
o Correct APA in-text citation and referencing
Hire a Professional Essay & Assignment Writer for completing your Academic Assessments
Native Singapore Writers Team
- 100% Plagiarism-Free Essay
- Highest Satisfaction Rate
- Free Revision
- On-Time Delivery
Rubrics
| Criteria | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Satisfactory | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literature review | Comprehensive and relevant literature review and clear demonstration of critical analysis through explanations and inferences. Very well-connected literature review. Clear coherence. Terms and concepts are very clearly defined. | Mostly comprehensive and relevant literature review and demonstration of critical analysis. Very well-connected literature review. Clear coherence. Terms and concepts are well-defined. | Somewhat comprehensive and relevant literature review, and some demonstration of critical analysis. Well-connected literature review. Clear coherence. Terms and concepts are somewhat well-defined. | Satisfactory literature review and some indications of critical analysis. Relatively well-connected literature review. Some coherence. Terms and concepts are not clearly defined. | Lack of literature review and application of critical analysis. Superficial connections made with the literature review. Lack of coherence. Terms and concepts are poorly defined. |
| Research design | Very clear methods and analytic framework. Very well-connected with the literature review and the research question. A clear rationale is provided for the selected methods and analytic plan. | Mostly clear methods and analytic framework. Very well-connected with the literature review and the research question. Rationale provided for selected methods and analytic plan. | Somewhat clear methods and analytic framework. Well-connected with the literature review and the research question. | Unclear methods or analytic framework. Some connections with the literature review and the research question. | Unclear methods and analytic framework. Superficial connections with the literature review and the research question. |
| Applied research idea | Clear evidence of originality and relevance to the literature review. Hypotheses and/or research questions are clear and very well-connected to the literature review. The idea has the potential to contribute to the advancement of healthcare research and practices. | Mostly original and relevant to the literature review. Hypotheses and/or research questions are clear and well-connected to the literature review. | Somewhat original and relevant to the literature review. Hypotheses and/or research questions are somewhat clear and connected to the literature review. | Lack of originality or relevance to the literature review. Hypotheses and/or research questions are unclear, but they are somewhat connected to the literature review. | Lack of originality and relevance to literature review. Hypotheses and/or research questions are unclear or disconnected from the literature review. |
| Communication | Used standard English, characterised by elements of a strong writing style and generally free from grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling errors. Demonstration of academic tone and well-articulated ideas. Engaging read. | Very good writing style using standard English with minor errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. Indications of academic tone and well-articulated ideas. | Good writing style using standard English with minor errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. Well-articulated ideas. | Average writing style using standard English with minor errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. | Poor writing style, lacking in standard English, clarity, and language use, with frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. |
| Formatting and References | Precise APA formatting. Precise APA in-text citation and referencing. | Clear APA formatting with few errors. Clear APA in-text citation and referencing with few errors. | Evident APA formatting with few errors. Evident APA in-text citation and referencing with a few errors. | Evident APA formatting with several errors. Evident APA in-text citation and referencing with several errors. | Little to no APA formatting. Little to no APA in-text citation and referencing. |
 Research Proposal Letter of Intent
Title
- Project Abstract
Information provided in this section must be self-contained so that it can serve as a complete, succinct and accurate description of the Research. This section must be no longer than five pages. Additional Annexe(s) will not be allowed. References will not count towards the page limit.
(i) Objective(s) of the Research
(ii) Summary of Literature Review (This sub-section is a mandatory requirement.)
| Â |
(iii) Summary of Key Components and Innovations of the Research
(iv) Summary of Research implementation as well as timelines and milestones
(v) Summary of Research Evaluation Framework and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track
End OF LETTER OF INTENT SUBMISSION
References
