Critical Review Handbook Masters in Public Health
Academic Year 2021/22
This handbook is for those of you embarking on the 30 credit Critical Review of the MPH. Refer to Blackboard MPH Programme Community / Dissertation and Critical Review for additional guidance and support. Use this handbook in conjunction with the Programme Handbook and Faculty/University regulations.
Important Contacts
| Course unit leads | |
| Dr Roger Harrison | roger.harrison@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dr Andy Jones | andrew.jones@manchester.ac.uk |
| Programme Director | |
| Professor Arpana Verma | mph.director@manchester.ac.uk |
| Programme Administrators | |
| MPH Admin Team | mph.admin@manchester.ac.uk |
Introduction
Students registered on the MPH programme (not the MRes) have the option of completing a 30-credit Critical Literature Review an alternative to the 60-credit dissertation. This requires students to take ten taught units. The differences in the pathway for this approach, compared with a dissertation are shown in the diagram below.
(N.B. This option does not apply to MRes students)
What is the Critical Literature Review (CLR)
In its simplest form, the CLR is an extended critical essay focusing on a public health research question or problem. It is not to be confused with a more formal and detailed Systematic Review similar to what the Cochrane Collaboration or others would expect. The CLR will need to incorporate:-
- The CLR will need a clear research question/problem – What is the current knowledge gap; what needs to be found out to fully address the question/problem focused on in the CLR
- A clear structure/method for identifying the evidence
- Detailed critique and summary of the evidence as a whole, in relation to the original question/problem and what this means in relation to the context/setting
- Discussion/reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of core aspects taken to answer the initial question/problem
- What are the implications of what was found / what ought to happen next
Students can (but do not have to) extend work that they have used as part of a previous assessment/marked piece of work for the MPH. However, the CLR must extend this work, and cannot simply be the same material presented in a different format. Students are encouraged to reference the assignment and provide a brief description (just several sentences) to explain how the CLR extends the original assignment.
Intended learning outcomes
| Category of outcome | Students should be able to: |
| A. Knowledge and understanding | A1 Describe a specific public health issue and establish a coherent research-related question that forms the foundation of the critical literature review |
| B. Intellectual skills |
B1 Use appropriate methodology to obtain the information necessary to address the research question B2 Use appropriate methodology to synthesise the information collected |
| C. Practical skills |
C1 Construct a meaningful synthesis and critical interpretation of the results of information/evidence collected C2 Explore the implications of the findings of the review |
| D. Transferable skills and personal qualities | D1 Demonstrate the ability to be a reflective and self-directed learner, to accomplish a substantial piece of academic work |
Registering for the 30-credit critical literature review
MPH students will register their preferred option (that is for the dissertation or additional units and the critical literature review) at the start of their final academic year. This process will be similar to that for selecting individual course units. Note that the fees for the critical literature review plus the two additional units, are the same as that for the option of the MPH dissertation.
Process flow chart
We recommend that all students consider the workload implications of the course work for a taught course unit, and their critical literature review. In the majority of cases, part time students are recommended to complete their 10 course units followed by the critical literature review. However, each student will have different circumstances and their own time management plans to consider.
Do not leave it too late
 |
Once a student has formally registered for the Critical Literature Review, they have to submit this by the Sept at the end of the academic year. In other words, students need to plan carefully for this work, alongside the additional units they must complete. |
Submitting your idea
Students need to complete a short proposal/title form to indicate the title and a very brief outline of what they will be focusing on. There are five fixed dates when students can submit the proposal/title form. Proposals will not be processed between these dates. These dates reflect the academic timetable, and help account for assessment times and holidays. These dates reflect the academic timetable, and help account for assessment times and holidays. However, make sure you plan as much time as possible for working on your actual critical literature review. The earlier you start in the academic year, the better.
Proposal/title form submission dates
The following table shows the dates available for students to submit their proposal/title form (do not confuse this with the submission date for the completed piece of work which is always a date in the first week in September).
| Proposal submission dates | |
| One | 27th October 2021 |
| Two | 15th December 2021 |
| Three | 31st January 2022 |
| Four | 7th March 2022 |
| Five | 2nd May 2022 last opportunity! |
Academic supervision
Students will be allocated an academic supervisor soon after registering for the CLR. Students are responsible for making contact with, and introducing themselves to, their allocated supervisor.
Role of the supervisor
The role of the supervisor is to support a student’s academic development. Remember the project is the work of the student and not that of the supervisor. Students will have different needs for support and guidance. Some of the areas a supervisor might help with include:
- Helping students to develop a meaningful time plan for the months ahead
- Supporting the development of the structure of the critical literature review in terms of sections and themes that it includes
- Giving constructive feedback on sections of written work/preliminary drafts. This includes feedback on the general style of writing, appropriate use of references, and the depth of critique/appraisal that the work contains and relevance to the original aims and objectives of the work
In addition:
- Supervisors aim to give feedback to students within 2 weeks of submitting drafts. As a result, it is important that students plan their time and allow for the return time for feedback on their work
- Please do not expect supervisors to be able to give feedback very close to the submission date. Also, this would not provide enough time for students to respond to their comments
- Supervisors are expected to provide 8 – 10 hours of support for the CLR. This includes reviewing student drafts and individual meetings.
N.B Supervisors are asked to let students know if they will be taking annual leave in August/early September. This will help students plan their work and when supervisory support can be provided. It is a good idea for students to clarify this with their supervisor.
Maximising supervision
Students are encouraged to maximise the opportunities for support from their academic supervisor. A few suggestions to facilitate this include:-
- Send supervisors an email as a way of introduction, a time plan, and any immediate concerns/support needs
- Identify specific queries or questions as a way of preparing for a discussion/meeting with the supervisor
- Have a good awareness of the marking template used to assess the final written work (see end of document). Knowing the assessment criteria helps guide a student’s work and supervisory discussion
- Make the supervisor aware of any difficulties affecting the ability to study. Students do not need to specify the detail, but enough to help the supervisor signpost the student to other sources of support. At the same time, it is helpful for any students with issues impacting on their studies, to let MPH.Admin@Manchester.ac.uk know.
- Raise any issues associated with supervision by contacting Roger.Harrison@Manchester.ac.uk or Andrew.Jones@Manchester.ac.uk
Additional support
All students are encouraged to utilise the My Learning Essentials packages provided through the online UoM library. There are also helpful resources provided in the MPH Programme Community relevant to both the dissertation and the Critical Literature Review.
Word count
The word count for the critical literature review is 5000-7000 words (+/10%). The same marking penalties as for a standard course unit assessment will apply.
Referencing
The use of referencing will be assessed by the examiners. On this programme, the preferred referencing style is Harvard. However, Vancouver is acceptable. Students must correctly reference their work. Poor approaches to referencing can suggest academic malpractice. Guidance can be found on academic writing and referencing in the Study Skills course within the MPH Programme Community space in Blackboard and from the University My Learning Essentials.
It is essential that students develop correct referencing within their work. There are a number of free online and cloud-based programmes to facilitate this process (including Endnote and Mendeley). Please ensure that the final reference list is produced correctly, especially if you are using an automated process, through Endnote/Mendeley for example. Sometimes software can cause final problems with this as part of the upload process. Therefore producing a final .PDF document might be preferable.
Deadline for submitting the completed work
Students need to submit one electronic copy of their assignment using Blackboard. There is a specific submission section on the main left hand menu, one for dissertations and one for the critical literature review. The final submission date is 12:00 noon BST on Monday the 05th of September 2022. Students can submit earlier than this, but they will not get their mark any earlier.
- Students need to submit work as .PDF or .DOC file.
- Ensure that the saved document has the correct formatting and layout, including the generated reference list. If working on a Mac computer, please save the document to a Word or .PDF format
- Use the same format for saving and submitting the file, as for the assignments.
- The submission box in Blackboard will become open nearer the final submission date.
Release of marks
Students need to submit one electronic copy of the CLR through Blackboard (similar to a course unit assignment), on or before the final submission date of 12:00 noon BST on Monday the 05th of September 2022, in Word or as a .pdf. Marks are usually released around mid-November and written feedback will be available in Blackboard. Note that the work must be submitted within the same academic year that the student registered for this specific unit.
Marking framework
Students work will be marked using the same process as for a taught unit assignment. The following table shows the marking criteria that will be used to mark the critical literature review. Note that the marking framework is specific to this critical literature review. Students should read this framework as it can help them understand core aspects to focus on in their written work.
| Score Band\ Section weighting | Introduction- formulation of review question and rationale (20%) | Methodology- appropriate evidence search (25%) | Results- summary and critical appraisal of evidence (20%) | Discussion- implications of results for local public health practice, public health policy and future research (25%) | Presentation and Referencing (10%) |
|
90-100% Excellent |
Work that is exceptionally outstanding with respect to all the criteria listed below | ||||
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80-89% Excellent |
Work that is of excellent quality throughout with respect to all the criteria listed below | ||||
|
70-79% Excellent: exceptional quality throughout |
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• Rigorous critical appraisal that demonstrates thorough understanding of internal and external validity of included evidence |
|
• fulfils purpose of written assignment • complies with required format • content in coherent sections with clear headings and subheadings • clear but concise and sections well balanced • engaging style • table/figure used appropriately • correct and consistent referencing |
|
60-69% Good pass: good to high quality |
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• fulfils purpose of written assignments • complies with recommended format • structure fairly coherent • fairly concise and sections reasonably well balanced • correct referencing with occasional minor errors |
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50-59% Pass: satisfactory to good |
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• fulfils purpose of written assignments • complies with recommended format • content presented in coherent sections but no headings • sections of inappropriate length • correct referencing with occasional minor errors |
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40-49% Fail: unsatisfactory
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• Minor lack of clarity in review question • Minor lack of clarity description of rationale for review
|
• search not reproducible due to some major omissions/errors • some search terms, operations and limits used in search ineffective at focussing search • some inaccuracies |
• Basic critical appraisal that demonstrates some understanding of internal and external validity of included evidence with some minor omissions/ errors |
• Minimal discussion of implication of findings • Not all suggestions for practice and research feasible and appropriate • Suggestions not supported by relevant wider evidence |
• just fulfils purpose of written assignments • just complies with recommended format • structure just coherent, concise • sections just balanced |
|
30-39% Fail: unsatisfactory |
• Major lack of clarity question • Major lack of clarity description of rationale for review
|
• search not reproducible due to some major omissions/errors • most search terms, operations and limits used in search ineffective at focussing search • many inaccuracies |
• Limited critical appraisal that demonstrates limited understanding of internal and external validity of included evidence with some major omissions/errors |
• Poor discussion of implication of findings • No suggestions for practice and research or suggestions not feasible and appropriate • Suggestions not supported by relevant wider evidence |
• purpose of written assignment barely fulfilled • fails to comply with recommended format and content • lack of clarity • not concise • numerous errors in typing, spellings and grammar |
|
20-29% Fail: unsatisfactory |
• Major lack of clarity question • Major errors description of rationale for review
|
• search not reproducible due to some major omissions/errors • inappropriate/irrelevant search terms, operations and limits used in search • poor accuracy |
• Limited critical appraisal that demonstrates very limited understanding of internal and external validity of included evidence with major omissions/errors |
• Very poor discussion of implication of findings • No suggestions for practice and research |
• purpose of written assignment not fulfilled • style difficult to follow • incorrect referencing |
|
0-19% Clear Fail: very poor quality |
• Major lack of clarity question • Major errors description of rationale for review
|
• search not reproducible due to some major omissions/errors • inappropriate/irrelevant search terms, operations and limits used in search • poor accuracy |
Limited critical appraisal that demonstrates no understanding of internal and external validity of included evidence with many major omissions/errors |
• No discussion of implication of findings • No suggestions for practice and research |
• purpose of written assignments not fulfilled • does not comply with recommended format and content • incoherent structure • inadequate referencing • very poor quality |