Students

LAW 483 – Law Journals

2015 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Ilija Vickovich
ilija.vickovich@mq.edu.au
Contact via ilija.vickovich@mq.edu.au
W3A 624
Tuesday 2pm-3pm
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
6cp in LAW units at 300 level (P) and permission of Executive Dean of Faculty
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Under the supervision of the editors of Macquarie Law School's journals, this unit is limited to approximately 15 students per semester, who are selected on the basis of their academic results, experience and writing ability. Each student completes a range of tasks with respect to the Journal, which include communicating with authors and reviewers; checking articles for accuracy and compliance with style; editing and proofreading of accepted articles in the production process; and potentially writing a case note or book review. Classes on editing, research and writing are provided, and students also meet regularly with the editors.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Recognise and identify the fundamentals of legal academic publishing
  • Define and describe the production and peer review processes of an academic law journal
  • Critique legal academic articles and other works
  • Produce written academic work to a publishable standard
  • Demonstrate a capacity to proofread, edit, check and critique legal academic works in terms of substance and style
  • Demonstrate a capacity to collaborate effectively and develop interpersonal and communication skills as part of an editorial team

General Assessment Information

Disruption to Study and Special Consideration

If a student suffers a disruption to study which is ‘serious and unavoidable’, he or she may apply for special consideration. In order to do so, the student must meet the criteria under the Macquarie University ‘Disruption to Studies’ policy and be approved by the Unit Convenor.  Applications are made online at ask.mq.edu.au. Outcomes for recognized serious and unavoidable disruptions to studies are as set out in the University schedule: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/schedule_outcomes.html

 

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Written Work 1 25% Week 6
Written Work 2 25% Week 11
Class Participation 40% During semester
Portfolio 10% Week 13

Written Work 1

Due: Week 6
Weighting: 25%

Each student is to provide a short written proposal (approx 200 words) for the first written work in week 2. Once the proposal for the first written work is presented and accepted, students will proceed to write their fully referenced written work (max 2,000 words plus footnotes) to a publishable standard and submit the work to the unit convenor in week 6 (before the commencement of the mid-semester break).
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critique legal academic articles and other works
  • Produce written academic work to a publishable standard
  • Demonstrate a capacity to proofread, edit, check and critique legal academic works in terms of substance and style

Written Work 2

Due: Week 11
Weighting: 25%

Once students have been allocated a submitted article from an author for carriage towards potential publication in a journal edition, they will commence working on their second written work, a Critical Review of the article (max 2,000 words plus footnotes). They will submit it to the unit convenor in week 11 and (if confirmed by the convenor) also present the same in a short oral presentation at an appropriate editorial meeting of the journal.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critique legal academic articles and other works
  • Produce written academic work to a publishable standard

Class Participation

Due: During semester
Weighting: 40%

1.       Students will be assessed on their participation in the seminar classes of weeks 1-6, their understanding of required readings and contributions to class discussion and exercises on substantive materials (15%).

2.       Students will also be assessed on their participation in the editorial meetings as required by the editors of the journals, their carriage of submitted works, communications with authors and reviewers and their attendance to journal production matters in a competent and timely manner (25%).
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise and identify the fundamentals of legal academic publishing
  • Define and describe the production and peer review processes of an academic law journal
  • Demonstrate a capacity to proofread, edit, check and critique legal academic works in terms of substance and style
  • Demonstrate a capacity to collaborate effectively and develop interpersonal and communication skills as part of an editorial team

Portfolio

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 10%

Students are required to create and submit a Portfolio during the semester as a record of their activities and work. It must also contain appropriate reflection statements. Further information about the contents of the Portfolio will be provided by the unit convenor. The format of the Portfolio will be at the discretion of the student.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise and identify the fundamentals of legal academic publishing
  • Define and describe the production and peer review processes of an academic law journal
  • Critique legal academic articles and other works
  • Demonstrate a capacity to collaborate effectively and develop interpersonal and communication skills as part of an editorial team

Delivery and Resources

Delivery and Resources

1.       Australian Guide to Legal Citation 3rd ed

2.  Readings and other documents will be available through iLearn.

Unit Schedule

Unit Schedule

Week

Topic

Comment

1

 

Introduction to Law Journals; Relevant Issues

 

2

 

Macquarie Law Journals Process and Precedents

Proposal for Written Work 1 due

3

 

Writing, Editing and Reviewing Skills

Editorial Meeting 

4

 

Legal Referencing and Citation

 

5

 

Legal Referencing and Citation

 

6

 

Field Trip

Written Work 1 due

 

Mid Semester Break

 

 

7

 

Article Review and Editing

 

8

 

Article Review and Editing

Editorial Meeting 

9

 

Article Review and Editing

 

10

 

Article Review and Editing

 

11

 

Article Review and Editing

Written Work 2 due

12

 

Article Review and Editing

Editorial Meeting

13

 

Article Review and Editing

Portfolio due

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Any student seeking an extension of time to complete any assessment task must contact the unit convenor as soon as possible and formally apply for special consideration. Supportive documentary evidence must be provided. In cases of extensions sought on medical grounds, a certificate signed by a medical practitioner must be submitted as supportive evidence. Extensions of more than seven (7) days will not usually be granted. Students are referred to the university special consideration policy at:

http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs /s pecial_cons ideration/policy.html

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.