Word Count : 1000 words
Assessment Task: Comparison of two research papers
Assessment Guidelines
To write a 2,500 individual assignment comparing two published research papers –
which are different in their philosophical and methodological approach – from the choice of one of
the two contemporary public health topics provided below. The two research papers address a
related research question but are underpinned by either a quantitative or qualitative research
approach and employ different research methods. In the assignment you are required to:
(i) Discuss the research approaches in the two published research papers; and
(ii) Debate the strengths, weaknesses and philosophical differences by describing,
contrasting and comparing the underlying philosophical perspectives, ethical
dimensions and methods of data collection and analysis in the two published research
papers.
The discussion must draw on the principles and debates presented in the first 3 weeks of the research methods module. All references must be listed and cited correctly.
You are directed to choose one topic from the options provided below:
Topic 1: Obesity among Libyan adults
• Lemamsha, H., Randhawa, G., & Papadopoulos, C. (2019). Prevalence of overweight and
obesity among Libyan men and women. BioMed Research International.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8531360
• Lemamsha, H., Papadopoulos, C., & Randhawa, G. (2018). Understanding the risk and
protective factors associated with obesity amongst Libyan adults: a qualitative study. BMC
Public Health, 18(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5411-z
Topic 2: Public perspectives on COVID-19 vaccination in South Asia
• Kumari, A., Ranjan, P., Chopra, S., Kaur, D., Kaur, T., Kalanidhi, K. B. et al. (2021). What
Indians think of the COVID-19 vaccine: A qualitative study comprising focus group discussions
and thematic analysis. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 15(3),
679-682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2021.03.021
• Haque, M.M.A., Rahman, M.L., Hossian, M., Matin, K.F., Nabi, M.H., Saha, S., Hasan,
M., Manna, R.M., Barsha, S.Y., Hasan, S.R. and Siddiquea, S.R. (2021). Acceptance of
COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants: evidence from a large sample study in
Bangladesh. Heliyon, 7(6), p.e07376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07376
Learning outcomes assessed
- Critically discuss the philosophical perspectives that underpin health and social research
- Critically evaluate data collection techniques
- Understand different approaches to the analysis of numerical and non-numerical data
- Critically explore the ethical dimensions of research
Reference style : Haravard referencing