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Unit of study_

BHSC4013: Honours C: Research Project

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Honours students complete a supervised research project in a health discipline area within the Faculty. In completing the research, the student will work closely with academic staff/mentor who will supervise their research activities. Honours students learning and teaching activities will largely be driven by the nature of their research project. Likely learning and teaching activities include the production of written work that may be suitable for submission to a relevant refereed journal for publication or equivalent. These activities necessitate a collaborative relationship between supervisor and student.

Unit details and rules

Unit code BHSC4013
Academic unit Health Sciences
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
BHSC4012
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Michelle Villeneuve, michelle.villeneuve@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Tatjana Seizova-Cajic, tatjana.seizova-cajic@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Honours presentation abstract
Scientific abstract
0% -
Due date: 06 Sep 2021 at 15:00
250 words
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4
Assignment hurdle task Honours thesis
Journal manuscript
80% STUVAC
Due date: 08 Nov 2021 at 12:00
3000-6500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Presentation hurdle task Honours research presentation
Oral presentation
20% Week 07
Due date: 24 Sep 2021 at 09:00
13 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO3 LO2
hurdle task = hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Honours research presentation: Present the research topic, project scope, process and key emerging or preliminary or complete findings at a 10-minute conference-style presentation with 3 minutes of questions. Include audio-visual presentation aids.

Honours presentation abstract: Write a structured abstract for publication in conference proceedings 250 words in length

Honours thesis: Produce a scholarly research report that documents your research honours topic, project process and outcomes in the specified format of a journal article consistent with your discipline. The Faculty of Medicine and Health recommends a length of 5000 words.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1). The Honours Thesis Examiner Guidelines for the School of Health Sciences outlines the specific mark range for an Honours Program thesis.

Result name

Mark range

Description

Honours 1st Class

80 - 100

Outstanding work of overall high quality. The work makes a contribution to the field and with some originality. The candidate demonstrates a strong grasp of the area and of current theoretical and critical approaches to the topic and the research methods and has interpretive subtlety.

Honours 2nd Class, Division 1

75 - 79

Accomplished work that demonstrates some capacity for originality and genuine research potential. The candidate clearly possesses a sound grasp of the discipline and of current theoretical approaches to the topic and research methods. The work exhibits some interpretive subtlety and an acceptable level of analytical insight.

Honours 2nd Class, Division 2

70 - 74

Good work that demonstrates some capacity for originality. Candidate demonstrates an acceptable grasp of the discipline, but the work is somewhat uncritical. Demonstrates the ability to sustain an argument.

Honours 3rd Class

65 - 69

An acceptable piece of work but does not demonstrate originality and presents current literature and own work in a descriptive rather than critical or analytical manner, or has other major flaws. Demonstrates the ability to sustain an argument.

Not awarded

< 65

The work is unsatisfactory in several critical areas, such as conceptualisation of the problem, research aims/objectives, methodology and analysis of results.  A coherent argument has not been sustained. The work is deemed unsatisfactory for the award of Honours.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

Further information on the Examination of Honours Theses can be found on the Canvas site for this unit of study.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Ongoing Research Project Project (5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 02 Module 1: Introduction and Overview Workshop (2 hr) LO1
Week 03 Module 2: Writing Methods and Results Workshop (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Module 3: Writing Introduction and Discussion Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 05 Module 4: Writing Abstracts Workshop (2 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 06 Module 5: Presenting your work orally Workshop (2 hr) LO4
Week 07 Research Symposium Seminar (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

All students must complete the Introduction (Module 1).

The minimum attendance threshold for this unit is completion of two modules. Supervisors may instruct their students to attend most or all sessions.

Attendance (engagement with Module content) is recorded in Canvas.

The Research Symposium is an assessment item and attendance at the whole Research Symposium is required. This is currently planned as an on-campus activity. Provisions will be made for students who are unable to attend due to COVID-19.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

There is no required textbook.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. plan and execute a piece of research and scholarship with some independence.
  • LO2. demonstrate advanced knowledge of the underlying principles and concepts in one or more disciplines and knowledge of research principles and methods
  • LO3. demonstrate the application of research principles and methods to answer a research question and develop advanced knowledge, skills, or techniques in one or more disciplines.
  • LO4. present a clear and coherent exposition of knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

In response to student feedback, Modules have been developed into self-study and re-organised to begin with Method & Results Writing.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.