Based on the student essay, The general public’s attitude towards the legalisation of living organ markets: What is the public’s position on the matter and why? Author withheld.
Essay Title

University students’ attitudes towards the legalisation of living organ markets: What is their position on the matter and why?

ABSTRACT

A summary of the aims, methods, results, and conclusions.

INTRODUCTION 200-250 words

This section contextualises the AIMS of the research project.

1. Explain the debate/controversy issue:
Organ market is illegal. Some argue that it should remain illegal due to ethical concerns. Others believe it should be legalised due to the chronic shortfall in organs.
2. Need for the survey/Research Gap:

There is no consensus on the issue of legalisation of the organ market and the opinion of the public – the donors and receivers of organs – is a major factor in determining policy. Previous surveys of public attitude to organ market legalisation have shown conflicting results, and further investigation is therefore necessary. Moreover, few studies have investigated attitudes amongst university students, despite the fact that university students are almost twice as likely to be on the organ register as those of similar age in the general population.
3. Aim of the research paper:
To identify university students’ attitudes to the legalisation of organ markets1. In particular, the paper aims to identify the reasons for these views2 as well as other factors that may influence attitudes3.

? Note that there are 3 aims, as numbered. These aims are key to the organisation/ content of the rest of the essay.

LITERATURE REVIEW 600-650 words

This section gives further background on the topic and narrows to a summary of previous research on attitudes to the topic. Note how the structure links into the aims identified in the introduction.

1. Background:
People are dying due to organ shortages ? Rise of black market for organs.
2. Legalised organ markets:
Legalised organ markets have been suggested as a possible solution ? Current public opinion on legalisation ? Aim 1.
3. Arguments in favour of legalised organ markets:
Reasons the public have supported legalisation in the past and analysis of the validity of these reasons ? Aim 2.
4. Arguments against legalised organ markets:
Reasons the public have opposed legalisation in the past and analysis of the validity of these reasons à Aim 2.
5. Factors affecting attitudes towards legalisation:
Previous studies have shown that men are more likely than women to oppose legalisation because…/ According to Alsowayigh (2013), those professing a religion were more likely to oppose legalisation/ Numerous surveys (Xi, 2013; Begimbetov, 2012; Alsunaid and Aytah, 2012; Samkaoui, 2014) have suggested that those who have had first-hand experience of organ donation were more likely to be in favour of legalised markets.

Previous studies (Won, 2013; Babakekhian, 2014) have also provided evidence that the greater an individual’s knowledge of organ markets, especially the current black market, the more likely they are to support legalisation. Research by Sun (2014) and Yuan (2013) contradicts these findings, however, identifying no correlation. In addition, a study by Johnson (2012) suggests that attitudes to legal organ markets are negatively correlated to attitudes to donating organs in general; in other words, those who are prepared to donate their own organs, or already have, are less likely to support legal markets). ? Aim 3.
6. Identify literature gap:
Although attitudes towards the legalisation of organ markets amongst the general public have been widely examined, only two studies (Fan, 2012; Dogan, 2013) have investigated attitudes amongst university students.
7. Objectives:
To identify:
– Attitudes towards legal organ markets amongst university students from a range of nationalities and studying a variety of subjects (including business and science).
– Reasons for these attitudes.
– Whether there is any correlation of attitudes, as well as the reasons for these attitudes, with factors such as knowledge of organ markets, religion, gender, previous experience of organ donation, and subject studied.

METHODS 300-350

This section outlines how the questionnaire was designed, who you sent it to and how, and how you analysed the results.

1. Questionnaire design:
– Why this tool was chosen.
– How the questionnaire was designed.
– Adaptations made after the pilot.
2. Sample:
– Who was the questionnaire sent to?

3. Procedure:
– How did you distribute the questionnaire?
– How did you analyse the results?