Units / PSY4412
PSY4412 · Psychology manuscript: Project pre-registration and planning
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 4Psychology
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
The GDPA research project is completed over the course of three units, where you will undertake a supervised research project in psychology that aims to provide training in both discipline-specific and transferable research skills. PSY4412 marks the beginning of your research project journey where you will focus on the development of your research project. Additionally, you will begin building your research portfolio. Your research portfolio will support the programmatic development of your research skills through a suite of engaging, authentic assessment tasks. In PSY4412, this involves completing the pre-registration of your research proposal, providing context and justification for the investigation of your research project, and assisting in the preparation of the ethics application for a low-risk quantitative or qualitative research project. This unit will also provide you with an opportunity for formative feedback on a draft of your Journal Manuscript introduction, supporting you in the development of a high-quality Journal Manuscript as the capstone assessment of the GDPA. Throughout PSY4412, emphasis will be placed on professionalism and fitness for practice, ethical considerations and the development of research methodologies, ensuring a robust foundation for your future academic and professional endeavours.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Monash Online | Teaching period 5 | Monash Online (MO) |
| Monash Online | Teaching period 3 | Monash Online (MO) |
| Monash Online | Teaching period 1 | Monash Online (MO) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project management: Research project IP eTransfer (pass/fail) | Artefact | 0% | Competency |
| 2 | Pre-registration: Research proposal (1,000--1,500 words) (pass/fail) | Written | 0% | Competency |
| 3 | Journal manuscript milestone 1: Introduction (1,500-2,000 words) (pass/fail) | Written | 0% | Competency |
| 4 | Ethics application (1,500 - 2,000 words, not including appendices) (pass/fail) | Written | 0% | Competency |
Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
prerequisite
- PSY4401 — Psychology research project: Statistics and research design for professional psychology
Learning outcomes
- Contextualise the proposed psychology research within the broader research literature.
- Justify the investigation of a research question and its impact in applied contexts.
- Formulate a logical and appropriate research question and/or hypotheses.
- Conceptually map the scope and ethical considerations of your proposed research project.
- Determine the ethical considerations and regulatory requirements relevant to your proposed research project to ensure research integrity.
Workload
You should expect to spend an average of 20-25 hours per week per unit. This time will cover: • One-on-one research supervision (30 minutes per week). • Group supervision (1 hour per Teaching Period). • Independent research (10-12 hours). • Knowledge-based assessment (8-10 hours, including revision).
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