Workplace health and safety (WHS) is an important aspect of working in a research environment. WHS includes many aspects such as safe handling of chemicals, safe and contained manipulation of biological material that may present hazards to humans or the environment, performance of research within confines of ethics (human and animal) and in accordance to laws and regulations of good workplace practice. Good WHS also includes your workstation and the facilities that you work in.

As part of your research training you will undertake diverse WHS inductions relative to your project and lab / field environment. For this assessment you need to outline the inductions you have undertaken and risk assessments / ethics / training that you have completed or that will be required for your year 2 project. You will need to identify the risks and why the different assessments are required relative to your placement. Your supervisors will be your main source to identify these requirements. This assessment can be tabulated for ease.

While in the laboratory you will learn methods by following protocols or you may even develop protocols which tend to be formatted similar to a recipe i.e. step by step instructions. Presentation of protocols / methods in scientific publications is very different to those that you follow in the laboratory.

Why is the materials and methods section of a scientific paper important? Firstly this section provides a reader with the information to determine the reliability of the results and conclusions. Secondly, the materials and methods outlines the materials used and procedures followed with sufficient detail for someone else to repeat the study. The presentation of materials and methods varies between scientific journals and it is important to read the authors instructions to ensure that your paper meets the criteria and format for the journal you have selected for submission of a paper.

For this assessment you will present the methods you have learnt in your placement in the format for a scientific paper formatted to a journal agreed upon between you and your supervisor. We will address writing the different styles of methods presentation in the three hour tutorial session 

For this assessment you will prepare a research proposal using the template provided in iLearn. The proposal will outline background, aims and methods of your research project for year 2 of the MRes. Students will consult with their supervisors in the preparation of the proposal.  A timeline is also required. 

Your placement supervisors will provide a report to the unit convenors. Supervisors will be evaluating your attendance; understanding of the research; attention to detail; ability to learn new techniques and efficiency in methods performance; participation and enthusiasm; and interactions with team members;