More about methods and ethics, 10 credits

Bachelor of science or professional qualification of at least 180 HE credits within public health, health care, or a subject area relevant to social sciences. Furthermore, at least the Pass grade in the courses Quantitative and qualitative research methods on term 1 is required.

Module 1: Ethics in research (3hp). The aim of the course is to increase the students’ own capacity to reflect on what research ethics is about and to acknowledge what is acceptable and not acceptable concerning research involving human beings as well as the researchers own honesty. The students is supposed to be capable to present his/her own research within a research ethical framework and able to debate it in relation to scientific norms on what is understood as normal science, fraud as well as the historical development of informed consent and the Helsinki Declarations, the research ethics committees and their ethical and legal framework. Module 2: Applied advanced methodology (7hp). The student should have both a deeper understanding and skills to be able to: define and specify a public health research object of relevance for the selected master alignment; ii) formulate research questions and hypotheses; iii) write a research protocol and an application for grants according to international standard; iv) review and summarize a relevant literature review; v) performe a pilot study based on a given problem statement; vi) apply different types of research design and methods; vii) plan, implement and present the result as a scientific paper, both verbally and written: The student should also through training achieve an ability to critically discuss and give constructive comments on scientific papers at seminars.

Part 1: Ethics in research, 3 HE credits. Overview of evaluation issues and moral obligations, participation in clinical trials including the importance of informed consent in using register data. Specific ethical problems in connection with public health studies in several countries. Requirements of information and training in writing an application for an ethical committee. Part 2: Applied advanced methodology, 7 HE credits. Overview of the different parts of the research protocol including training to write an application for research financing. Examination and compilation of literature. Overview of various types of research design, choice of method and practical training to write and present a plan for the own essay. Training to review scientific work.

Lectures, seminars for analysing scientific papers and training as opponent including the presentation of an individual research protocol for the master level. The Safety Promotion Track will use Internet and Pingpong.

Individual exam, assignments, complete application to ethical committe and a plan for the individual master thesis.