Tasks: This assignment consists of two parts: Part I is a mini literature review (2-3 pages), which is the research background of your proposal; Part II is the research plan (3-4 pages) in your proposal. Specifically:
In Part I, you will need to review the current research evidence related to your topic, and provide a summary that will become the Background of your proposal. You may focus on the following questions:
– Epidemiology of the clinical/social problem that you want to investigate.
– Why is important to conduct your project (i.e. rationale)?
– What has been done in previous research in this field and what are the key findings? – What has not been done and what are the limitations from previous research?
– What are the research questions (or objectives) of your project?
– What are your hypotheses?
Please DO NOT copy the information directly from the article (e.g. abstract, results). Your report will need to go through the VeriGuide. Too many similarities (e.g. >20%) will be considered as plagiarism (except for references).
Criteria of choosing the research articles for your review:
1. The article must be published in a scientific journal (impact factor ≥ 1.5).
Examples are: Journal of Biomechanics, Clinical Biomechanics, Applied Biomechanics, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Gait and Posture, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Sports Sciences, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, etc.
2. The article must be a quantitative study (i.e. using quantitative data and statistical analyses).
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3. The article must be related to biomechanics (i.e. measures of biomechanical variables such as forces, torque, loading, stress, strength, power, velocity, acceleration, angle etc.) and injury risk (e.g. measures of injury or injury risk).
4. The article must be an original research study (not a literature review study).
5. Please use CUHK library to search the articles of your interest. Databases may include
PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, etc.
In Part II, you will need to write the research plan on how you will conduct the research project. The structure and contents may include the following:
– Study design
– Participant recruitment
o Sample size consideration
o Inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria
– Instruments (equipment) and measurements, e.g.
o Fitness assessment
o Laboratoryequipment o Technology-based tools
– Data collection procedure
– Independent variables and outcome variables
– Statistical analysis plans
– Anticipated results and significance
– Timeline of your project (this can be a Gantt Chart included in the Appendix)
References can be attached as an appendix and will not be counted in the page limit. When submitting your report to VeriGuide, please do not include your reference list as it may increase the percentage of similarities. Details of the VeriGuide submission can be found in the course outline.
Criteria used in the assessment of your assignment:
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Relevance of the article and your proposal:
– Topic and contents are relevant to biomechanics and injury
Critical thinking skills
– Depth of your understanding in the field
– Specific research questions and rationale in your proposal
Organization of your proposal
– Research design and methodology – Feasibility of the study
Written quality
– Clarity, style of writing and layout
– Proper use of references (e.g., APA, AMA)
Strength of the proposal
– Innovation and creativity
Details of the grade descriptors can be found in the course outline
