Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Andrew Barron
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Students will formulate a novel research question within a well-defined topic area, conduct a comprehensive review of the primary literature, synthesise this material to address their research question, and present their findings in oral and written forms. The best reviews will unite evidence from disparate areas to generate novel ideas and hypotheses. This unit provides an opportunity for students to learn about an area of scientific research that they may be unfamiliar with at the outset. The intention is to give students an opportunity to gain exposure to a research area that is completely unrelated to their masters research project. It also provides an opportunity for students to learn about the latest work in a wide variety of research areas through discussions and oral presentations presented by their peers. In the past, some literature reviews by students have been published in refereed scientific journals.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Proposal | 10% | No | 20 March 4pm |
Oral presentation | 20% | No | 28 April |
Summary of top 3 presentations | 10% | No | 5th May 4pm |
Literature review | 60% | No | 2nd June 4pm |
Due: 20 March 4pm
Weighting: 10%
Produce a brief outline of your research topic detailing the question to be addressed, the sub-questions you will consider, an outline of the structure of your review, and six key references you intend to use. Maximum 1 side of A4 paper. The intention of this assessment task is to give early feedback to students on their planned project.
Due: 28 April
Weighting: 20%
You should deliver a 5-minute presentation of your research topic structured as a short format academic conference presentation. Focus on concisely introducing your question and summarising your key findings. There will then be three minutes for questions. Your oral presentation should be accompanied by slides prepared in Powerpoint. The rule-of-thumb for the number of slides in presentations is 1 per minute (i.e., 5 slides for a 5-minute presentation). You will be penalised if you go over time.
The presentation series will be open to the university community, and so you should anticipate presenting to other Biology academics and students. This should also be seen as an opportunity to gain constructive comment and feedback from your examiners and peers, which will ultimately improve your literature review.
Due: 5th May 4pm
Weighting: 10%
Identify and rank your top three presentations from the class oral presentations. For each presentation, summarise in less than 200 words the scientific content of the presentation as well as describe in less than 100 words why you considered this presentation one of your top three.
Due: 2nd June 4pm
Weighting: 60%
The literature review should be written and formatted as a submission-ready review paper in the style of an appropriate journal. Write your report for a scientifically literate but non-specialist audience. This must be fully referenced following the referencing style of the journal. The review must not exceed 3,500 words exclusive of references. A useful guide are the Trends journals (Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Trends in Neurosciences, Trends in Plant Sciences), which publish accessible reviews of this length.
A good scientific review requires a clear definition of the problem and question, comprehensive coverage of relevant literature, a concise and unbiased summary of existing evidence, clear structure, precise spelling, grammar and use of written English and a conclusion that addresses the topic question.
You should cite at least 20 papers from the primary peer-reviewed literature in your review, but you may have to read considerably more than this to get a rounded idea of the topic. Emphasis should be placed on recent papers (last 5 years).
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday 24th February 11am-1pm E8A280
Initial meeting, explanation of theme topic & examples.
Monday 6th March 11am-1pm E8A280
Follow up meeting to discuss choice of topic areas.
Friday 28th April 10.00 am – 4:00pm E8A280
Seminars, attendance at all seminars is compulsory!
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_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Date | Description |
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04/08/2017 | Removal of non-teaching staff |