Module manager: Dr Irvin Teh
Email: i.teh@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: 1 Oct to 30 Sep (12mth) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
As per programme specification.
None.
This module is not approved as an Elective
The MSc Medical Imaging programme culminates in your research project supervised by leading researchers in their field. In collaboration with your supervisory team, you will choose, design, conduct and write your research project, tailored to your chosen specialism as closely as possible. You can design a project yourself with the assistance of an academic supervisor, or else choose from a range designed by the supervisors. The final outcome will be to write up a research report in the format of a journal article. We will encourage you to submit the article to a scientific journal.
To provide an opportunity for students to:
Employ transferable skills gained over the course of the MSc Medical Imaging programme in a medical imaging-related research project of their choice.
Gain first-hand experience of performing research in an academic environment, supervised by experienced researchers.
Develop an understanding of the scientific method and the key skills needed in good research practice. This includes study planning, report writing, giving presentations, and record keeping. These elements are reflected in the Project Strategy Plan, Journal Article, Oral Presentation and Research Notebook assessments respectively. Additional formative feedback for the Oral Presentation is given in the Mini-Symposium.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Explain the scientific method that is applied in the project; demonstrate how this method could provide a reproducible answer to this research question.
2. Critically evaluate recent research in the discipline identifying important research questions.
3. Formulate and/or refine research ideas, hypotheses and questions; develop, implement, execute plans by which to evaluate the research questions within an appropriate timeline.
4. Assess and appraise the validity, strengths and weaknesses of his or her own work; suggest future research directions.
5. Present the findings of their research using common academic methods of dissemination.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
Apply critical thinking to current literature to develop a research project
Be able to design and implement a research plan
Select and apply appropriate data analyses methods
Demonstrate effective team working
Project Review and Selection:
For the duration of the research project, you will be attached to one of various research or clinical groups here in Leeds or with one of our collaborators. You will work on a specific project that is designed with sufficient scope for investigation at the Master’s level, and which will be feasible to complete within the time available.
Project Strategy Plan:
Once projects have been assigned, students are expected to contact their supervisors to begin preparing the project strategy plan. In the project strategy plan, students, under guidance of their supervisors, will refine the aims, scope of work, the methodology, and the resources required in the project. This is to ensure that the project is of appropriate scope for an MSc, and all logistics and administration are or will be in place in good time for the project work to take place.
Journal Article:
The journal article represents a substantial body of work summarising the background, methods and results of the research project, and shall be written in the format of a journal article.
Route 1: Practical Research project:
These are hands-on projects that involve data acquisition and/or analysis, in a relevant research area.
Route 2: Systematic Review project:
Students are expected to carefully review and integrate the literature around a particular subject, using established systematic review methods.
Research Notebook:
Good documentation is key to any successful research project, and your notebook is aimed to support you in planning, executing and documenting your research project. You will regularly record the discussions with your supervisors and any other collaborators and your actions. You will record key findings or problems appearing, and ideas for how to tackle them and proceed further in the investigation.
Oral Presentation:
The oral presentation provides an opportunity for students to present and defend the work done over the course of the research project. This will comprise a presentation and Q&A session.
Mini-Symposium:
A mini-symposium is planned to provide an opportunity for students to interact with peers and to receive formative feedback in preparation for the oral presentation.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision Meetings | 16 | 1 | 16 |
| Seminar | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Seminar | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Seminar | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Private study hours | 560 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 38 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 598 | ||
In the project strategy plan, students, under guidance of their supervisors, will refine the aims, scope of work, the methodology, and the resources required in the project. This is to ensure that the project is of appropriate scope for an MSc, and all logistics and administration are or will be in place in good time for the project work to take place. A mini-symposium will provide opportunities for students to practice their oral presentation skills, to receive feedback from experienced academic researchers, to critique others’ work. Students will receive formative feedback about their oral presentations.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | Project Strategy Plan. 1,000 word report outlining project plan e.g. background, aims, methods, timeline and logistics. | 0 |
| Report | Journal Article. 4,000 word report written in the format of a journal article in a scientific publication. | 60 |
| Oral Presentation | 10 minutes plus questions | 30 |
| Lab Notebook | Research Notebook Written record documenting research journey, with a view to demonstrating independent and critical thinking, and facilitating reproducible research. | 10 |
| Oral Presentation | Mini-symposium. Practice for oral presentation. Formative feedback provided. | 0 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Important Note: If the completion of the research project is delayed beyond the normal completion time, students may be required to commence a new project.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 22/05/2026
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