Postgraduate Course: Psychological Research Skills (PSYL11065)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Psychological Research Skills is a core course for all taught MSc programmes in Psychology, drawing on expertise from staff in the different programmes. The aim of the course is to provide information, resources, peer-discussion and practical exercises across a range of topics relevant to MSc study, academic research, professional practice, and career development within and beyond academia. |
| Course description |
The course aims to provide students with an advanced, postgraduate-level psychological skillset in areas such as research and professional ethics, searching, managing and summarising literature, writing for academic and lay audiences, research proposals, data visualisation & graphic design, digital science and big-data, open research and careers within and beyond academia.
Students can expect a mixture of teaching delivery modes, including in-person lectures and pre-recorded content with further resources and practical assignments for independent study and practice. Alongside the lecture content will be seminar-like sessions: these may include large group participatory events, small-group discussions, and drop-in labs for assistance with assignments.
By following the content of this course, students will build up a portfolio of skills and knowledge, as well as being provided with extensive resources for personal exploration and development of core skills.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course can be taken for credit only by students on MSc programmes in Psychology. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Feedback |
Individual formative written feedback will be provided on the PhD proposal. Group-level formative written feedback will be provided on the portfolio assignments. Formative oral feedback will be provided through in-class and in-seminar discussions with instructors and peers. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand ethical guidelines for research and professional conduct.
- Search and manage academic literature effectively.
- Tailor written and graphic communication for different audiences.
- Write a substantive research proposal.
- Develop and demonstrate a range of transferable academic skills.
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Reading List
Suggested background reading for sub-topics.
On Ethics - BPS Code of Human Research Ethics (2021): https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/bps-code-human-research-ethics. // On scientific writing: Foster, D. H. (2017). A concise guide to communication in science and engineering. Oxford University Press. // On literature management - Edinburgh University Library guidance for systematic reviews: https://edinburgh-uk.libguides.com/systematic-review. // On general writing: Williams, J. M. (2009). Style: The basics of clarity and grace.
On open research: Chambers, Chris (2017). The Seven Deadly Sins of Psychology: A Manifesto for Reforming the Culture of Scientific Practice. Princeton University Press.
On data visualisation - Franconeri, S. L., Padilla, L. M., Shah, P., Zacks, J. M., & Hullman, J. (2021). The science of visual data communication: What works. Psychological Science in the public interest, 22(3), 110-161." |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Participate in all activities as scheduled |
| Keywords | skills,research,academic |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paul Hoffman
Tel: (0131 6)50 4654
Email: p.hoffman@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Mollie Fordyce
Tel:
Email: mfordyc2@ed.ac.uk |
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