These are some of the actual planning diary I presented in my Extended Project where I received full marks (A*). This can be used as a great example for how to structure and present your planning for an EPQ.
Monday 9th July:
I have begun by exploring multiple ideas for the subject of the project such as
personal nutrition and effects of sugar but I am currently most interested in writing an
in depth synopsis of a complex disease in detail. I am planning on basing my
dissertation on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis as it is a chronic disease that I am very
interested in but I have only knowledge of the symptoms and some treatments but
not the causes or the science behind the treatments.It is also very under researched
as it is such a complex condition which is still highly controversial. I would like to
focus on this as researching it will broaden my understanding and so I can also
improve my knowledge on other subjects that I am unfamiliar with such as
psychology and sociology. However, at this point I am unsure of the direction to go in
regarding the disease. I have created a mind map to show my current thought
process. I have begun by researching and looking at scientific journals on the virus
XMRV and the findings between the presence of it in ME sufferers. I expanded my
research by looking at the references on each paper in order to find the original
studies and works that other authors have cited which has improved my skills in
these areas.
Monday 16th July:
The main premise of the dissertation will be on whether ME is physiological disease
or a mental illness and how medical professionals are approaching treating this
illness. My potential title is “ME: The Brain or The Body?”. Upon evaluation, it would
have been better to begin by researching broadly about the subject first before
beginning to research in depth about a specific thing that may not end up being
relevant. I have therefore decided to watch two documentaries on ME which has
helped me see the disease from the point of view of the patient rather than the
researcher or doctor; this has caused me to explore personal recovery stories to
learn more about the range of ways people have recovered.
Monday 23rd July:
I feel that potentially the brain and the body is too broad of a way to approach ME. I
have also discovered that, apart from a few, most researchers view the disease as a
combination of both but lean slightly towards one or the other so this may not
perhaps be a productive direction for my project. After reading the newest research
paper about The Lightning Process I think it might be better to focus it around what
we can learn about ME through recovery stories or about more unconventional
approaches to treatment. At this point, I have decided to create a table recording all
of the problems I have faced during the process and how my decisions have affected
the outcome of the project.
Monday 30th July:
In order to develop my knowledge further from different mediums, I have watched a
webinar on broadening biochemistry relating to ME/CFS. I also have been
researching statistics in recovery and prognosis of ME diagnosis. In future, I plan to
, reread The Lightning Process book and collect notes which may be relevant. I also
plan to complete more research into unconventional methods of treatment as this is
my current idea on how to approach the topic.
Friday 3rd August
Through researching ME, I am realising that this is not challenging my skills or
knowledge so I am considering changing my question to focus on a topic less
familiar where I can develop more. I have also decided that it may be best to focus
the dissertation on a question. I am hence considering “Can lifestyle medicine be
used to treat chronic disorders?” as a new potential question. I may begin the essay
talking generally about unconventional methods of treatment and then focus into ME
as an example of a complex disorder that does not yet have a pharmaceutical
treatment that works universally. I could also draw upon recovery stories from
documentaries whilst adapting my research into The Lightning Process and looking
further into topics such as diet, supplements, CBT, exercise, etc. In order to research
this new plan, I have enrolled in a new online course titled ‘Chronic Disease
Treatment with Lifestyle Medicine’.
Saturday 11th August:
I have created a rough project timeline with key milestones and dates to abide by for
the duration of the project. I will also keep a more detailed timeline with smaller
milestones and when I met them in order to track how well I am managing my time.
After completing more of my online course, I would like to focus on a wider range of
diseases rather than just ME/CFS in order to expand my knowledge and
understanding of how lifestyle medicine can be used in many ways to help many
different disorders. I have thus made a mind map where I have outlined the concepts
within lifestyle medicine and a few chronic conditions that I may like to explore in
further detail from which I have made connections. I have drawn out some potential
structures for the essay and a rough plan where I have decided to separate my
essay into three sections, each focusing on a specific aspect of lifestyle medicine
(such as diet) and use a specific condition to use as an example. I have also drafted
the introduction for the dissertation and cited my sources to improve my citation
skills.
Wednesday 15th August:
I have my full plan drafted and I have begun to bullet point plan and draft my first
section on brain training where I have adapted all of my research from ME and The
Lightning Process along with drafting my introduction. I have been sourcing both
scientific journals and books which has improved my skills in these areas. In future, I
plan to cross reference the sources from the books I have read. I have now also
created a skills audit where I will continue to fill in the skills I have gained and how I
feel I have improved.
Saturday 18th August:
I have finished drafting the section on brain training and I am beginning to plan the
next section which will be focussed around how diet can be used to treat chronic
disorders such as Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease. I am planning to read more
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