School of Economic Studies

ECON60060 / Research Skills for Economists

1.Course details

Semester(s): / Both
Credit rating: / 15
Lecturer: / James Banks, 2.014, ArthurLewisBuilding,
email:

Lecture Times and Rooms / Friday 12-1/2. Location to be confirmed.
See the provisional plan on page 2 for details of the weeks in which there is a class
Availability / This module is COMPULSORY for all first year PhD students in the School of Economic Studies and for all ESRC “1+3” students. It is NOT available to any other student.
Mode of assessment: / A presentation (40%), an essay (40%) and some practical exercises (20%)

2.Aims and objectives

Aims

The aim of this module is to develop research skills appropriate for the study of economics at advanced graduate (doctoral) level. The principal focus will be practical and materials will be targeted towards development, implementation and presentation of the research agenda underlying each student's doctoral research.

Objectives

By the end of the module students will have a clearer view of the nature of their research project, of some of the detailed issues involved in economics research and will be practised in a variety of research-enhancing skills. Each student will have produced an essay in the form of an introductory thesis chapter/research proposal, will have made a presentation to the class of their work and will have undertaken a number of exercises requiring practical research skills.

3. Provisional plan of semester(s)

There will be no class in the week of 27 September. Classes in the first semester will begin on 8 October 2010 and then run every week through to 26 November 2010. During this period we will cover the majority of the syllabus elements listed below and there will be two assignments to hand in.

Additional classesand meetings will take place in the second semester to cover presentation skills and in which students will give their research presentations.

4.Syllabus Elements

The nature of (economic) research
What is research? Types of economic research. Economic methodology.

The PhD in economics
What is the form of a PhD? What counts as originality? Theory, data and contribution. The PhD process and potential pitfalls. The viva. The job market.

Reviewing the scholarly literature
The nature and purposes of a literature review. The critical assessment of research papers. Citing and discussing the research of others. Searches of the literature. Bibliographic resources.

Internet resources for economists

Academic writing
The importance of writing. Invention, arrangement and style. Some elements of academic style. Plagiarism.

Graphs, figures, tables and the best display of quantitative information

Academic Journal Publishing in Economics
What and where to publish. The refereeing and publishing process.

The research proposal/introductory chapter.
Purpose, scope, nature, significance, form. What is expected of this part of the assessment?

Academic Presentation Skills
Understanding the purpose and the audience. Visual aids. Preparation. Handling questions.

Research Presentations

5.Assessment

Two practical exercise will count for 20% of the overall mark for the course. The other two components are a presentation and a research proposal which both count 40%. Full details of these will be given in due course however the presentations will take place in February/March 2010 and the deadline for the research proposal will be in April 2010.

6.Further information about assessment

Late Submission Penalties for Formally Assessed Coursework

Since assessed coursework must be retained for possible consideration at the Final Examiners’ Meeting you should make and keep a copy for yourself. If any possibility of late submission arises through illness or any other good cause, you must inform the relevant lecturer as soon as possible. Penalties, in the form of reduced marks, will be applied for inexcusable lateness in the submission of assessed coursework.
The penalty scheme for late submission is given below:

Working Days Late

Marks Deducted as a % of the “uncorrected” mark

1

10

2

20

3

50

4

70

100

Assessment criteria

The criteria used by the School in the assessment of examinations and coursework can be found in Programme Handbooks.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the theft or expropriation of someone else’s work without proper acknowledgement, presenting the material as if it were one’s own. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and the consequences are severe. Guidelines on plagiarism are included in the documents listed above or can be found, together with general guidelines on the university’s examinations process, on the Awards and Examinations Office website ( under Student Discipline and Appeals.