(193 words)
Picking my research topic took a lot of time, even though I already knew I wanted to conduct impactful research in AI and the healthcare field. It took a while to identify areas with gaps and where I could make a contribution to society. When I finally settled on my chosen topic, I also had to connect ethical thinking with research design. Reviewing my research proposal taught me how much early-stage decisions affect later reliability and transparency. I had to reflect not only on the feasibility of my idea but also on its ethical implications, including informed consent and the well-being of participants. This was especially important for my chosen topic in healthcare AI, where data sensitivity and risk of bias are high.
The collaborative summary task helped me bring together diverse perspectives on ACM case studies. This unit encouraged me to consider the broader impact of my research choices. I became more confident in appraising academic research design, recognising how flawed design can lead to misleading results, even with good intentions. These insights fed directly into the following stages of my research planning and helped me refine the scope of my proposal.