Students

FOAR7001 – Research Communications

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Kirstin Mills
kirstin.mills@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Room 752, Level 7, 25B Wally's Walk (Arts Precinct)
By appointment (please email to set up a time to meet on campus or online)
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
FOAR7000
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit focuses on the academic craft of research writing and communication, and trains students in how to develop an effective, productive and sustainable research and writing practice suitable for large research projects like a thesis. It will prepare students for their transition into the second year of the Master of Research Degree as well as for writing and communication in professional research contexts. With a particular focus upon research writing, planning and editing tailored to the student's developing research project, it will provide students with advanced disciplinary knowledge about research processes, practice and planning, as well as the mindsets, habits and practices that shape the way effective and productive researchers work and communicate knowledge for a range of different outputs and audiences. Through a variety of research-related communication activities, students will have the opportunity to demonstrate competence in the application of advanced research and communication skills to their area of research, and to develop reading and writing habits and produce written material that will provide an ideal foundation for the Master of Research Year 2 research project and/or future academic writing.

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:

  • ULO1: Display a high level of oral and written communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories, principles and concepts in your area of specialisation
  • ULO3: Evaluate the research principles, practices and methods used within your discipline area.
  • ULO4: Identify appropriate research practices to support the development and completion of a research project.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty 

University Assessment Policy is as follows:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of‚ 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Pitch 40% No 10/09/23
Research Proposal 60% No 05/11/23

Research Pitch

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 28 hours
Due: 10/09/23
Weighting: 40%

 

Students write a brief exploratory overview of their research project (their potential thesis topic, if intending to progress to the second year of the Master of Research, or a hypothetical research project if not). This research pitch should be written for a diverse audience including both specialist and non-specialist readers, and should focus on clear and engaging written expression.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Display a high level of oral and written communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories, principles and concepts in your area of specialisation
  • Evaluate the research principles, practices and methods used within your discipline area.
  • Identify appropriate research practices to support the development and completion of a research project.

Research Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 05/11/23
Weighting: 60%

 

Following the supplied guidelines, students write a formal Research Proposal for their research project (their thesis topic, if intending to progress to the second year of the Master of Research, or a hypothetical research project if not).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Display a high level of oral and written communication skills, with specialisation for the specific needs of a discipline.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories, principles and concepts in your area of specialisation
  • Evaluate the research principles, practices and methods used within your discipline area.
  • Identify appropriate research practices to support the development and completion of a research project.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Classes in this unit are either on campus or online (via Zoom) depending on which mode you are enrolled in. All resources are available via the iLearn site.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

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

Changes since First Published

Date Description
17/07/2023 .

Unit information based on version 2023.02 of the Handbook