This restricted and compulsory module for the MSc in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement involves individual work carried out by the student under the supervision of the research project supervisor in BIO, or a member of staff at JIC. This module involves an extensive survey of current literature related to the research project (BIO-M70X), the formulation of hypotheses, and the design of experiments to test them. The module is intimately linked with the research project module BIO-M70X where students conduct these experiments, analyse their research project data, and critically assess their hypotheses.