Final Master's Degree Project
Main language of instruction: Catalan
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish
Head instructor
The Master Final Project (TFM) is the name given to one of the compulsory subjects included in the curriculum of the Master in Clinical Research, which is taught at the International University of Catalonia.
Their characteristics of realization and the requirements of concretion in the educational organization, motivate this teaching guide.
The number of credits assigned to the TFM is 15 ECTS, equivalent to 330 hours / student, during which all the planned tasks of data search and preliminary information, programming, planning and content structuring, organization and realization are developed.
There is not pre-course requirements.
The main purpose of the Final Master's Project (TFM) is to reinforce the knowledge acquired during the master's degree in methodological matters, programming, structuring, planning and organizing a research work and the tasks necessary for its realization.
Through the TFM, the student will have to demonstrate that he / she is able to describe and analyze the problem to be investigated based on previous studies and scientific background through the programming of research objectives and design, the appropriate applications and the development of the scientific method, as well as forecasting of the methodology by the evaluation of the results.
Master's thesis will indicate its nature, context and development of the scientific method; it will have to justify the temporary organization of scientific tasks and others until its completion.
Upon completion of the program, the student will be able to:
1. Presentation and writing of the final master project
This document is not a complete treatise on the writing of the Final Master's Project (TFM), but a guide on the formal aspects that the TFM has to contemplate.
2. Sections and ordering of the TFM
The sections followed by the letter (o) are mandatory and those followed by the letter (f) are optional.
a. Covers (o): one page at the beginning with the title and the other at the end of the document in white. They do not count when it comes to paging.
b. Title page (o): it must contain the essential elements to identify the TFM. It must include:
i. Logo of the University
ii. The title of the TFM (Written in lowercase)
iii. The name of the author
iv. Data of the center
v. Fine Master's Work
vi. Master of Science in Nursing
vii. The name of the tutor
viii. TFM delivery date
The TFMs are internationally protected against plagiarism, so on the back of the title page you must carry the following copyright "Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of this text, fear of printing, photocopy, microfilm one another, without prior express permission of the International University of Catalonia”
The title is an expression or short phrase that serves to mention the theme of the TFM and the point of view from which it is treated. It is an important part of the TFM because it serves to disseminate and catalog it. Avoid ambiguous descriptions.
c. Summary (o): between 300 and 350 words. It is necessary to present the subject and the objective of study and the methodology used, as well as, if applicable, the expected results, the limitations of the study and the implications for nursing practice and research. (According to modality a or b of TFM type).
The summary needs to be concise, but it is more than an enumeration of the chapters of the work; it has to give the reader an idea of the content, originality and scientific value of the TFM.
You will have to make a list of 5 or 6 keywords. The keywords allow and facilitate the indexing to the databases, facilitating later the search of the articles.
d. Index, list of tables and list of figures (o): these three lists refer to pages of the TFM. The index covers the entire TFM and indicates the main titles. The list of tables and the list of figures occupy separate pages.
List of acronyms and abbreviations (o): this list with alphabetical order mentions the abbreviations and abbreviations that are used in the work and explains its meaning. The rules and internationally accepted abbreviations must be respected.
e. Dedication (f): it is a tribute of the author to one or different people.
f. Body of the TFM (o): there are many ways to structure a research work, but it is necessary that all have a concise expression of the ideas. The TFM will have to have a maximum of 50 pages and will have to contain at least the following sections:
1. Introduction: brief introduction of the research topic.
2. Review of the literature: exposure of existing knowledge on the subject. This section has to justify the objectives of the investigation.
3. Theoretical framework: presentation of the concepts and statements related to the phenomenon of study.
4. Objective (s) of research and hypothesis if necessary
5. Methodology: development of the research plan in order to reach the objectives of the research. This section must contain at least:
6. Ethical considerations of the investigation
7. Study limitations
8. Schedule
9. Implications for practice
Optional depending on the type of TFM that is presented: (only to the "b" mode)
10. Results: presentation of the preliminary results.
11. Discussion: interpretation of the preliminary results, contributions of the TFM to nursing science, have the proposed objectives been achieved? Compare the results obtained with the other authors. Practical deductions. Limitations Proposal for new lines of research.
12. Conclusions and recommendations: conclusions of the author and recommendations by professional practice or by future research.
g. Bibliographical references (o): for the presentation of the bibliographic list, it is necessary to use the "Requirements of uniformity of the writings presented to biomedical journals: Standards of Vancouver or APA"
h. Anejas (o): some documents such as the informed Consent, the Participant Information Sheet; Measuring instruments or scales, if used; Approval sheet of the Ethics Committee of the investigation in the case of work implemented; audiovisual documents, etc., have to be placed in the annex.
The annexes allow offering this type of information without loading the body of the TFM, or distract the reader from the development of ideas. The annexes are separated from each other by an appropriate title page.
i. Acknowledgments (f): (can also be posed after the dedication). In this section the student gives his thanks to his tutor and to all the people who have helped him during the realization of the TFM. We must also express gratitude to the people who have authorized the use of measuring instruments or devices to carry out the TFM and to organizations that have subsidized work through scholarships or research funds.
*The TFM modality "a" does not require the implementation of fieldwork, for which it will not provide results.
*The modality of TFM "b" requires the presentation of a completed study, with data collection, presentation of results and discussion.
3. Formal presentation
a. Paper, format and margins: the paper has to be white Din A4. You only have to write a face, the size of the letter must be 11 or 12 points and with a line spacing and a half or double line spacing. The characters have to be uniform throughout the work. The following letters can be used: Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman, Comic Sans and Tahoma.
Do not include references at the bottom of the page. The margin has to be justified on both sides. The upper, lower and right margins have to be 2.5 cm, but the left one has to be 3 cm in order to facilitate the reading of the work once it is bound. The titles have to be written in capital letters and bold.
b. Pagination: the pages of the main body of the TFG must be numbered from the first to the last. The page number has to be in Arabic numerals and it has to be placed in the lower right corner. All pages, pages with rows or tables included, must be paginated. The first page is not numbered, but it must be counted on the page.
The pages that precede the introduction and the pages that follow the bibliography must be numbered with small Roman numerals in the lower right corner.
c. Citations: you have to place the quotations in quotation marks and if they occupy more than three lines, in a separate paragraph with simple line spacing.
d. Illustrations, tables, figures, etc.: each of these elements must have a title and a number in Arabic numerals. In the event that a table or a figure is commented on to the work, it is necessary to indicate the number attributed to it. To facilitate reading, tables and figures have to be as close as possible to the text in which they are mentioned and can be included in the text as long as they do not occupy more than half a page. The name of the tables will go over the table. The name of the figures will go below or to the base of the figures.