Assignment Instructions and Guidelines
XXXXXXXXXXRESEARCH PROJECT
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the need for contemporary accounting research, its theoretical underpinnings, and the research methods used. The assignment
must be no more that 4000 words, including references and appendices. The assignment is due on Monday 23rd May at 5pm and is worth 35% of your overall grade. The instructions are as follows:
1. Identify a topic that you believe would be of interest if you were free to choose your own accounting topic to study. You will need to provide an explanation justifying why this is an
important topic to research, discuss the theory that underpins your chosen topic, and
describe how it links to the practice of accounting (Criterion 1, LO1 & Criterion 3, LO2).
2. Select three academic journal articles that relate to your chosen topic. Discuss how they relate to your chosen topic.
3. Critique each of the articles using the following framework as a guide (it is not necessary to
explicitly address each point – the purpose of the framework is to simply give you an indication of the things you should consider when critiquing your articles) (Criterion 2, LO1 & Criterion 5, LO4):
a. The Abstract:
i. Does it contain enough information to enable a reader to decide whethe
the article is of importance to them or not? Is it informative? For example:
ii. Does it explain the purpose of the paper?
iii. Does it explain why the research was ca
ied out?
iv. Does it discuss what was accomplished, the main findings, the significance of
the research, and what conclusions were reached?
. The Introduction:
i. Does it give a firm sense of what was done in the study? For example:
ii. Does it introduce the question/problem?
iii. Does it develop the background of the study?
iv. Does it state the purpose and rationale of the research?
v. Is the problem important enough to justify the research?
vi. Is the background of the research relevant to the research question?
c. The Literature Review:
i. Is the literature review
oad, yet focused on the issue?
ii. Is there historical as well as contemporary material to put the area of study
into a context?
iii. Is there convincing evidence to support assertions?
iv. Does it fairly represent opposing views?
v. Does the literature review use a theoretical framework? If so, in what way
does the theory relate to the concepts of social responsibility and
sustainability? (This MUST be addressed to assess LO4).
vi. Does it reveal gaps in the knowledge which this research will fill?
d. The Aim:
i. Is the aim clearly stated? Is it focused on one main idea, and does it convey
the main purpose of the study? Do you have a clear idea of what the study
tried to achieve?
e. The Research Design:
i. Does it clearly state what the researcher did and how it was done, allowing
the reader to evaluate the methods used, the consistency, the reliability of
the study, its validity and whether it could be replicated? For example:
ii. Is there a clear rationale for the chosen research approach, methods and/o
instruments used?
iii. Is the research method appropriate for the research question?
iv. Was the collection of data appropriate for the research question?
v. Is there enough information concerning the participants?
vi. What were the ethical considerations for the research and the participants?
vii. Were the methods and/or instruments described in enough detail?
viii. Were any ambiguous terms used?
ix. Is the method deemed reliable and valid?
x. Are any limitations of the study discussed?
f. Data Analysis (also known as the ‘Results and Findings’ section)
i. Does this section contain a summary of the data collected and the main
esults and findings, in enough detail so that the reader can understand how the conclusions that are drawn later in the article have been reached? For example:
ii. Were the steps involved in the data analysis explained and the strategies justified?
iii. Was the data analysis rigorous enough to substantiate the claims?
iv. Were all data taken into account? If not, why not?
v. Are the presented results relevant to the research question?
vi. Do the tables and graphs (if any) make the data analysis clearer?
g. The Discussion
i. Are the implications of the research results evaluated and interpreted in relation to the research question? For example:
ii. Have the results been interpreted in relation to the research question and aims?
iii. Have the results been discussed with reference to the research question, hypothesis (if applicable) and theoretical or conceptual frameworks?
iv. Have conclusions and/or recommendations been appropriately drawn from the data analysis?
v. Did the researcher highlight the most important results?
vi. Have the results been used to support or refute the results of other studies?
vii. How relevant and useful are the results to practice?
h. The Conclusion
i. Does this section summarise the main points and indicate the usefulness of
the research? For example:
ii. Were the main points drawn out?
iii. Were fresh insights or a new perspective on the topic demonstrated?
iv. Have any recommendations been made based on the research?
v. Were there any suggestions for future research?